From pandemics to misinformation: rethinking security today
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The United States faces a profound security paradox: despite having the world's most powerful military, its greatest vulnerabilities lie in internal fractures—eroded trust, broken public health infrastructure, and societal division. In this episode of *Trending Globally*, political scientist Rose McDermott and epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo dissect how traditional security studies, long focused on nuclear threats and warfare, must evolve to confront modern, interconnected dangers like pandemics, misinformation, and biological weapons. They argue that biological threats are fundamentally different from nuclear ones—not only because they self-replicate and are hard to detect, but because they exploit human psychology, erode social cohesion, and thrive in environments of distrust. The conversation reveals a stark contrast between the national unity after 9/11 and the deep polarization following COVID-19, highlighting how the failure to invest in public health resilience and civic trust has left the U.S. dangerously exposed. The episode concludes with a powerful call to reframe security not as defense against external enemies, but as building societal resilience through accessible healthcare, transparent science, and community-based institutions that empower people daily—because true security begins at home.
Biological weapons are fundamentally different from nuclear weapons due to self-replication, civilian spread, and the ability to harm the attacker’s own population.
Pandemics like COVID-19 are not just health crises—they are national security threats that disrupt economies, destabilize democracies, and fuel authoritarianism.
The U.S. failed to institutionalize public health reforms after 9/11, and those gains were dismantled after the pandemic, leaving the country vulnerable.
Trust in institutions and each other is now the most critical vulnerability in national security—more dangerous than any foreign adversary.
Investing in everyday resilience (like home testing and accessible vaccines) strengthens society against both routine threats and catastrophic events.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The New Face of Global Security
The episode opens with a sweeping overview of modern threats—pandemics, AI, war, and misinformation—and introduces the central question: how has the field of security studies evolved to address non-traditional, interconnected dangers?
Defining Security Beyond War
Rose McDermott and Jennifer Nuzzo define security studies as having expanded beyond military conflict to include climate change, pandemics, and human rights, with 9/11 and the anthrax attacks serving as pivotal moments in this shift.
The Unique Threat of Biological Weapons
“If a biological weapon were to be deployed... the people on the front lines of responding to that would be largely civilians. And so the solution set is a largely civilian solution set.”
Why Traditional Security Paradigms Fail
Rose McDermott critiques the equivalence of nuclear and biological weapons in security studies, arguing that deterrence strategies don’t apply the same way to self-replicating agents that can spread uncontrollably.
The Psychological Dimension of Security
“When you're in a condition of resource deprivation, people tend to really not only retreat to their group but become more aggressive toward the other groups.”
“America is managing to defeat itself in a way that no other country has ever been able to do.”
“spreading, if it were contagious, among people. And the people on the front lines of responding to that would be largely civilians. And so the solution set is a largely civilian solution set.”
“We've had none of that for COVID. In fact, you know, COVID has left us, you know, in sort of opposite corners, you know, pointing fingers at each other more than anything.”
Host
Guests
Jennifer Nuzzo
person
COVID-19
other
Rose McDermott
person
9-11
other
Brown University
organization
mRNA vaccine technology
other
China
place
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
organization
Watson School of International and Public Affairs
organization
Department of Defense
organization
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