One “superbug” away from collapse?
If it has not already been added to Webster’s Dictionary, “doom scrolling” deserves its place in our permanent lexicon. This statement is not just about reading news headlines; the rapid development of AI has resulted in more than handful discussions in the ECHO team that revolve around technology outpacing legal or ethical boundaries and law enforcement’s ability to respond to AI-facilitated crimes. We’ll tackle that juicy topic another day. Today, let’s talk about science fiction movies.
Some of our faithful readers may have done a double-take at that last sentence. Is ECHO now expanding to movie reviews? No. However, a 10/15 CBS News headline that included the following: “‘we're not prepared’ for daily public health or emergencies” is the impetus for this post. This kind of statement should give every American, or perhaps every human on the planet, pause for concern.
How or why are we linking our normal national security discussions to science fiction movies? Read on friends, read on.
Let’s examine a few interesting examples of lessons from a handful of science fiction movies, some that depict post-apocalyptic scenarios, and how those lessons seem quite relevant today, considering current and recent events. In other words, how long until we find ourselves in a place where “fiction meets reality?”
Aside from the law enforcement intelligence disciple, one of my passions is pop culture. I’ve always been and remain a movie fanatic. A niche interest of mine in pop culture is the apocalypse genre. The ways in which, particularly science fiction, has explored the downfall of American or global society is captivating for me.
Three of my favorites are the Jurassic Park, the Maze Runner, and 28 (Days/Weeks/Years) franchises. Let’s look at each briefly and identify a “lesson” from each series.
With Jurassic Park, arguably one of the greatest movies of all time, regardless of genre, we see a falling banner near in front of the T-Rex near the end of the movie. (SPOILER ALERT) It reads: “When Dinosaurs Ruled the World.” Dr. Ian Malcom has the line of the movie, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.” Can we reframe the meaning behind this? Are U.S. government officials too preoccupied with how quickly they can slash health security programs and not stopping to think if they SHOULD slash these?
In the Maze Runner franchise, several issues are at a play, but the Flare Virus challenges those surviving a desolate, post-apocalypse America. Focusing specifically on what we learn about this “world” from the movies, not the novels that the movies are based on, a lesson we can draw from this situation is the degree to which a health crisis can spiral to social collapse. Furthermore, efforts to reconstitute, “back to normal,” are wrought with too many issues and challenges – redefining what is “normal.”
Finally, in the 28 [insert length of time] franchise, the focus, near and dear to this author’s heart, is England, decimated by the Rage Virus. As a side note, the fact that the origins of this franchise are linked to animal rights criminal extremists hits the interest corner just right for yours truly. A myriad of lessons can be drawn from each of the three movies. One of key lessons, particularly highlighted in 28 Weeks Later, is that “control” over a highly complex health crisis, particularly by a novel virus, may be nothing more than illusion. This sentiment was also echoed by Dr. Sattler in Jurassic Park, “You never had control; that’s the illusion.”
And now…drum roll…is there some sort of other notable correlation between these movies, other than this last point? Yes, but in a zag sort of way. In the Jurassic Park franchise, the humans believe they are in control and ruling over the dinosaurs (humans vs animals/science). However, as the movie progress, we quickly see in vivid and sensational ways that the tables are turned. No spoilers, but it doesn’t go well for humans. In the other two franchises, it’s largely human vs. viruses, although there are plenty of human vs. human themes that come into play. In these cases, some of the villains are microscopic in nature but display in the form of zombie-like, infected humans. In all three examples, the correlation is the struggle between NATURE and HUMANITY and when human’s fail to outpace the threat they risk survival as a species.
Considering these works of fiction, their lessons, and each news story about a reduction in experts, tracking, and capabilities in American health security infrastructure, my brain is in overdrive. At what point are we reading the headlines that are children or children’s children will discuss and say, “why didn’t they see it coming?” Are we days or weeks from our Flare, Rage, or other “superbug” (a virus or variant known or unknown) from decimating the United States and/or world? One could argue that the American capacity to detect a catastrophic human or animal-borne (food) pathogen is at the lowest point in the last 40 years.
The important connection between national security and health security is not a new topic. In 2023, Abir and Gerstein penned an insightful piece in the later stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. I encourage you to read their fine work. Agree or disagree with their premises and conclusion, their commentary work is incredibly thought provoking. Well, it should be, but it clearly is not resonating with the current American administration. This is quite frankly not the “shot” or “dig” that some will read it as, just the stark reality that America faces.
The article highlights one incredibly poignant concept, that the core goal of U.S. national security is to “save lives” and “mitigate threats” to the U.S. In my quarter century work in this field, this is one heck of a concise definition of what defines the mission of U.S. national security. The authors further note that U.S. national security and health officials (at all levels) share an “implicit or explicit commitment to ensuring the safety and the security of the nation.”
The article’s authors further identify core issues illuminated by the COVID-19 pandemic (note - “illuminated” or “highlighted” by not “caused by”)
-Information sharing issues between local and federal officials
-Divide and disconnect between policy makers and stakeholders when it comes to infectious diseases
-Lack of a strategic vision on the topic at large
-Significant “gaps” and “seams” regarding infrastructure needs to detect and mitigate health crises in the U.S.
This post is not intended to fully assess and litigate the veracity of the author’s analysis in any type of structured analytic way. Rather, can we just use some basic common sense and logic. We at ECHO cannot truly see any basis for disagreement with the previous two paragraphs.
Now, I get it, should we rely on a single source? No, that’s sloppy tradecraft. Let’s see what the academics are saying. A work published and available in the National Library of Medicine in 2023, entitled “Global health security and the health-security nexus: principles, politics and praxis” sounds interesting. We were quickly drawn to a salient portion of the abstract, “Yet, despite an increasingly dominant health security discourse, the many different ways in which health and security issues and actors intersect have remained largely unassessed and unpacked in current critical global health scholarship.”
Abir and Gerstein also posited a partnership and critical need between “national security” and “health security” efforts. In the academic work referenced above, McCoy, Roberts, Daoudi, and Kennedy suggest, at a minimum, “hey, the crossroads should not be ignored” message.
I don’t know about you. I certainly do not want to be part of the actual “Walking Dead.” Yes, I know that we’re now mixing entertainment modalities, between movies and television, but hopefully the point is clear. Will America and the world ultimately suffer as a result of the catastrophic cuts to U.S. healthy and bio-safety efforts in 2025? Only time will tell, in the meantime, as we say at ECHO, “stay vigilant, question everything, and be prepared for the worst.”
-Knight