Medicine, conflict, and survival
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Security threats are a major concern for access to health care in many war-torn communities; however, there is little quantified data on actual access to care in rural communities during war. Kinderberg International e. ⋯ The number of patients declined in remote clinics while the number increased in central locations. This finding has an important practical implication: the monitoring of access to care should include remote clinics, otherwise it may potentially underestimate compromised access to health care due to security threats.
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The concept of human security has developed in significance in the last decade to the point that its meaning and validity is hotly contested in the field of international relations, security, and development studies. A key consideration relates to its ambiguity at best and its amorphousness at worst. ⋯ However, collaboration and co-operation between political scientists and medical practitioners offers even greater potential to this vital programme. The latter offer the technical and methodological skills and approaches lacking in political science, whilst the former develop political frameworks to shift the causal focus towards human, institutional and structural agency in mass avoidable global civilian mortality.
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Economic sanctions are often considered to be a legitimate, more peaceful alternative to war. Using examples, particularly that of Iraq, it is evident that this is not necessarily so. ⋯ These would be similar to those allowing the imposition of war. In the realm of international governance, not only must sanctions be employed by the authority of international society, after other less coercive measures have been attempted, they must be supported by the people whom they are meant to protect, and efforts must be made to minimise and to monitor their consequences.