Journal Entry 6

Summary and Response to “A Threat Worse Than Terror”, Fareed Zakaria.
“A Threat Worse Than Terror” is an essay by Fareed Zakaria that discusses the flu pandemic. Zakaria points out that the United States government is not prepared for a flu pandemic and how it could be more devastating that a terrorist attack. He also describes how China is the natural habitat for the influenza virus and how their growth as a country is influencing the surge of virus strains. By comparing the amount of funding of weapons of war and how much goes to researching the flum, Zakaria shows that the U.S. is not putting enough into helping solve this problem. Using these examples he points out that we need to take drastic measures so that a devastating pandemic does not occur.
I would have to agree with Zakaria on this matter. The flu pandemic is just as much as a threat to us as a terrorist attack. A day might come when a pandemic breaks out and causes much more casualties than a terrorist attack. To take care of this we should put more funding into it and not just for us, but for the world. We will not only be the ones to suffer from a pandemic, but also our allies, enemies, and neutral parties. Any loss of life would be devastating.
Zakaria’s example of china helps us understand how these viruses spread. When birds and other animals are forced into smaller areas and are within areas of humans, the probability of viruses spreading form animals to humans increases and also points out that sanitary methods of processing food is greatly needed. He also points out how careless development can lead to a devastating pandemic.
I also agree that globalization should not cut back parts of the government that help protect us from pandemics should not be loss in the process. Globalization should not rule out government but help it become a crucial part to help mankind. The belief that the government will become less important is unrealistic. We need the government to help take care of this problem. Zakaria also points out that foreign policy is important in the sense of coordination. Nations need to be united in this cause or else we will fail. It’s kind of like the concept that Ben Franklin had with the serpent in pieces which stood for that if we are not together, we will fail and be done with.