目前全球共有3300萬感染HIV病毒的帶原者,且已經有2800萬人因愛滋病而喪命,多數都是在撒哈拉沙漠以南地區。該區的波茲瓦那(Botswana)曾是愛滋病最嚴重的國家,在2001年該國近40%的人口皆為HIV病毒帶原者。如此高的感染率對其經濟、社會與政治層面均會產生嚴重的負面影響,進而威脅國家安全。以軍事威脅為主的傳統安全觀無法解釋愛滋病對安全之影響,主因為其狹隘之定義。透過對傳統國家安全觀的修正及國家能力之檢視,可以發現愛滋病的確會間接對國家安全會產生永久的負面影響。既然愛滋病並非傳統的國家安全威脅,其解決之道也須非軍事的手段解決,而是需要全球合作來達成。本文的兩個論點為:一、愛滋病的蔓延擴散不僅為公共衛生之夢靨,更已間接嚴重影響國家安全。二、愛滋病的防制是需要結合政府及跨領域的非政府組織、私人企業與學界的合作,才能奏效,這顯示國家並非唯一的安全提供者。
Globally, thirty-three million people are now infected with HIV virus and twenty-eight million people have lost their lives because of AIDS. In 2001, Botswana became the worst-inflicted nation in the world, with more than 40 percent of its population inflicted with the HIV virus. Such high prevalence rate can only bring negative effects to Botswana's economy, society and political institutions and further threaten its national security. Traditional security theories, limited by narrow definitions, fail to explain the security impact by HIV/AIDS. With revisions to these theories, one can find HIV/AIDS does pose a negative but indirect impact on national security in the long term. Since HIV/AIDS is not a traditional threat to national security, its solution cannot rely on military measures but international cooperation.This article argues that (1) HIV/AIDS has moved beyond public health arena and has become a threat to national security. (2) States are not the sole security providers since the effective HIV/AIDS solution requires the coordination between national and international governments, private corporations, NGO and academia.