Joseph Harris

In this moment of great flux in global health – amid U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization – what steps are middle powers and nations on the periphery taking to assert their influence? What symbolic and material rewards accrue from making durable investments in global health diplomacy? And what lessons does Thailand’s model offer scholars and policymakers in the Global South? This blog explores the strategic growth of Thailand’s diplomatic presence at the WHO, reflecting on themes and issues raised in a new article in Politics and Governance by Collective member Joseph Harris and co-author Suriwan Thaiprayoon.

What do we do when an institution that is supposed to serve and protect the public interest has been so thoroughly captured by the interests it is supposed to regulate that it becomes hostile to the very people it is supposed to serve? Global health experts can impact unfolding events in many ways, working with government officials and institutions, civil society and mass movements, and in discussions taking place in their own universities and communities.