Killing Ebola
The militarization of US aid in Liberia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19559144 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alexander Calcagno Drew (SOAS University of London, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 88-97 |
| Publication date | 2016-10-31 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of African Studies and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2141-2189 • E-ISSN: 2141-2189 |
| Publisher | Academic Journals (PUBLISHER • NG) |
| DOI | 10.5897/jasd2016.0415 |
| OpenAlex | W2532677930 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 16 |
In Liberia, the security-development nexus strongly emphasized the security side when Ebola became an international crisis with potential for global risk in 2014. In West Africa, 28,600 people had contracted Ebola and over 11,300 of them died. Liberia was the hardest hit with death from the disease, killing over 4,800 people. Similar to other interventions after 9/11, the US response to Ebola was intended to be a whole-of-government approach. Nevertheless, its implementation was forged predominantly by the US President’s command that several thousand troops would be deployed. This piece, through an analysis of primary interviews; oral histories of diplomats, military officers, aid workers, doctors, and Ebola treatment personnel; official documents; and other scholarly work undertakes an examination of the effects of the US’ militarized response. The article reveals the disconnect between the construction and health needs of Liberians afflicted with Ebola and the deployment of US combat-oriented troops. In doing so, this article challenges assumptions of the role of the US military in humanitarian crises, as well as the efficacy of aid in the midst of the Ebola outbreak. Key words: Ebola, Liberia, US, militarization, aid, security
Ebola virus · Economic growth · Global health · Health care · Humanitarian aid · Humanitarian crisis · Militarization · Outbreak · Political science · Politics · Refugee · Global Security and Public Health · Health and Conflict Studies · Law · Medicine · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research · Virology
Aid, policy and growth in post-conflict societies
AID, Policy and Peace
The Pacification of Soldiering, and the Militarization of Development
Peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peacebuilding
The Struggle to Satisfy
International Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution
Global Governance and the New Wars
Reducing poverty with teargas and batons
Does It Pay for US-based NGOs to Go to War? Empirical Evidence for Afghanistan and Iraq
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |