Hiv aids And The South African State

This book discusses the response of the South African state to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It argues that the state was aware of the epidemic and its potential threat to human security, but chose not to make it a priority policy issue. As a result, the state was forced to rely on external contributors to meet the demands of all of its constituents.

For three decades post-apartheid, the HIV/AIDS epidemic from first acknowledgement to its management as a chronic disease, demanded unparalleled attention. This was nowhere more evident than in South Africa. This book explores how the state responded to its responsibilities to defend and protect (human) security. Linking this to the role of the state as sovereign protector and provider of security, it applies the findings to the broader re-interpretation of sovereign responsibility in the 21st Century. This book does not seek to absolve the South African state of its responsibility to respond. Moreover, it argues that although the state, the government, before, during, and after the transition to democracy, was aware of and acknowledged the threat - political, economic and social - posed by the epidemic, it nonetheless chose not to make the epidemic a priority policy issue. As a result, it argues that the South African HIV/AIDS case illustrates the tension inherent between a state's ultimate sovereign responsibility to respond and its tactical dependence on external contributors to meet the demands of all of its constituents. Review: 'This book on the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa is of utmost academic and political significance and key to understanding the complicated nexus between health and development. Well researched and cogently argued: the author has provided an excellent and penetrating empirical analysis and applied an original theoretical interpretation to demystify a complex development challenge confronting Africa's leading economy and add to knowledge on health sovereignty.'Franklyn Lisk, University of Warwick, UK'... provides an alternative view on the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa...highlights the challenges if transnational actors take over state functions when the state is too weak but retains ultimate responsibility. A must read for anyone doing research on governance in areas of limited statehood.'Tanja A. Borzel, Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany