INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION Pandemics remain a central international health security challenge. Emerging diseases, fluctuations in climate, global interconnectedness—both physically and economically—and greater interaction between animals and people, especially in the developing world, are just a few of the reasons that the international community should be more concerned about pandemics than ever before. While we prioritize nuclear and military threats to our national security, we easily forget the power of plagues in history and it is important that we accept and prepare for pandemics for it is not a matter of if; it is a matter of when. In October of 2017, the Scowcroft Institute for International Affairs at The Bush School for Government and Public Service held its Third Annual Global Pandemic Policy Summit in College Station, Texas, to discuss some of the most daunting challenges facing pandemic prevention, detection, and response. This white paper draws from and expands on conversations that took place during the two-day summit and proposes solutions for some of the biggest challenges. While there are numerous unresolved issues in pandemic preparedness and response, we chose to Global Leadership at a Crossroads
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