Julian Palmore, director of the university's Program in Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security, says world leaders and policymakers need to seriously consider the potential international security implications that would result from an avian influenza pandemic.

"Natural disasters, especially pandemics, can and do affect international security in many ways," he writes in a brief critical commentary in the March issue of the journal Defense and Security Analysis. the U. of I. professor said. "They can have disastrous effects on countries' economies, infrastructures, populations, public health and stability. As a consequence of natural disasters, governments may fail and populations may be decimated.

"Thus," Palmore writes, "planning for international security needs must take into account the effects of natural disasters. Since avian influenza is of utmost concern in Asia and in many other parts of the world, it is imperative that states' governments and non-governmental organizations pay attention to the evolution of the ... H5N1 virus."

Palmore addresses the topic in a more detailed article scheduled for future publication in the same journal.

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