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Thread 1/13
On #WorldHealthDay
we wanted to share this op-ed by our Co-Directors @DarakshanRaja & @Dr_Maha_Hilal who compare the US' response to the #COVID19 pandemic with its response to terrorism. Unsurprisingly, the response to the former is abysmal. https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/coronavirus-us-prioritises-war-terror-over-health-its-citizens
On #WorldHealthDay
we wanted to share this op-ed by our Co-Directors @DarakshanRaja & @Dr_Maha_Hilal who compare the US' response to the #COVID19 pandemic with its response to terrorism. Unsurprisingly, the response to the former is abysmal. https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/coronavirus-us-prioritises-war-terror-over-health-its-citizens
Thread 2/13
The US built an entire infrastructure to counter terrorism and criminalise Muslim communities, spending nearly $6.4 trillion in wars that killed half a million people since 2001. In contrast, there's been little focus on preparing the country for #COVID19 #pandemic
The US built an entire infrastructure to counter terrorism and criminalise Muslim communities, spending nearly $6.4 trillion in wars that killed half a million people since 2001. In contrast, there's been little focus on preparing the country for #COVID19 #pandemic
3/13
Many politicians have likened the #pandemic to #PearlHarbor and 9/11. Unlike 9/11, there is virtually no infrastructure to deal with this crisis that has infected over 375K people and killed over 12K. These numbers will continue to increase, b/c of Trump's abysmal response.
Many politicians have likened the #pandemic to #PearlHarbor and 9/11. Unlike 9/11, there is virtually no infrastructure to deal with this crisis that has infected over 375K people and killed over 12K. These numbers will continue to increase, b/c of Trump's abysmal response.
4/13
What would the response have been if growing numbers of people in the US were being targeted by terrorists? Would it take nearly two months to address this threat seriously? Why then is responding to the #pandemic threat so different?
What would the response have been if growing numbers of people in the US were being targeted by terrorists? Would it take nearly two months to address this threat seriously? Why then is responding to the #pandemic threat so different?
5/13
The Trump administration’s response to this unprecedented #pandemic has been abysmal. But, beyond his administration, there is a longstanding reality in terms of what the US prioritises when it comes to the safety and security of its residents - and it’s not public health.
The Trump administration’s response to this unprecedented #pandemic has been abysmal. But, beyond his administration, there is a longstanding reality in terms of what the US prioritises when it comes to the safety and security of its residents - and it’s not public health.
6/13
When it comes to war on terror, the contrast in the speed of addressing threats to the country shows how policy responses are developed based on the extent to which terrorism, can be constructed as inherently more threatening than a #pandemic, regardless of the actual impact
When it comes to war on terror, the contrast in the speed of addressing threats to the country shows how policy responses are developed based on the extent to which terrorism, can be constructed as inherently more threatening than a #pandemic, regardless of the actual impact
7/13
Since December 2019, as fears were growing in China around #COVID19, the US has launched missiles in Iraq and Syria, conducted drone strikes in Yemen, and killed an Iranian general. Just last month, as the WHO declared a coronavirus pandemic, the US bombed Iraq
Since December 2019, as fears were growing in China around #COVID19, the US has launched missiles in Iraq and Syria, conducted drone strikes in Yemen, and killed an Iranian general. Just last month, as the WHO declared a coronavirus pandemic, the US bombed Iraq
8/13
The post-9/11 years are just a contemporary example of how narrowly the US conceives of its military-industrial complex as the sole apparatus on which the safety & security of this country depends - an attitude typically based on greed & profit and which excludes #pandemics
The post-9/11 years are just a contemporary example of how narrowly the US conceives of its military-industrial complex as the sole apparatus on which the safety & security of this country depends - an attitude typically based on greed & profit and which excludes #pandemics
9/13
Another reason why the US response to Covid-19 has been woefully inadequate is that unlike terrorism, there is no visible or human enemy. But, unlike other “enemies”, Covid-19 can’t be detained, killed by war, or stopped at borders in the form of bans or walls.
Another reason why the US response to Covid-19 has been woefully inadequate is that unlike terrorism, there is no visible or human enemy. But, unlike other “enemies”, Covid-19 can’t be detained, killed by war, or stopped at borders in the form of bans or walls.
10/13
What if resources spent on endless wars had been invested into our health infrastructure, employment, education, food security, affordable housing, transportation, urban planning, & other key systems to help minimise the detrimental impact of pandemics such as Covid-19?
What if resources spent on endless wars had been invested into our health infrastructure, employment, education, food security, affordable housing, transportation, urban planning, & other key systems to help minimise the detrimental impact of pandemics such as Covid-19?
11/13
At this moment, we have a choice. We must demand that policymakers recognise how detrimental their priorities have been all along. It’s time to divest from wars and systems built upon oppression, and to invest in structures of care and kinship.
At this moment, we have a choice. We must demand that policymakers recognise how detrimental their priorities have been all along. It’s time to divest from wars and systems built upon oppression, and to invest in structures of care and kinship.
12/13
We have to build an effective public health and social response amid growing threats of pandemics and climate disasters - threats over which we have little direct control.
We have to build an effective public health and social response amid growing threats of pandemics and climate disasters - threats over which we have little direct control.
13/13
The security threat to our communities is the state’s failure to invest in what we need, rather than structures of violence and oppression that have never served us collectively.
The security threat to our communities is the state’s failure to invest in what we need, rather than structures of violence and oppression that have never served us collectively.
