When Protests Go Viral: An Analysis of the Indonesian Health Authority’s Withdrawal of H5N1 Samples from the World Health Organization in 2007

Abstract

The following thesis is a critical analysis of the Indonesia Health Authority’s (IHA) protest against the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2007 and why this protest was effective. The protest took the form of the IHA not providing viral samples to the Global Influenza Surveillance Network (the branch of the World Health Organization which carries out the surveillance of viruses). This protest occurred in the context of Indonesia’s H5N1 epidemic which had been diagnosed as the most concerning epidemic in the world at that time. This thesis is primarily concerned with why this protest was effective in determining the policy and decisions of the WHO. Prior to interrogating what specific characteristics contributed to the effectiveness of the protest, this thesis establishes the interests and powers of the two parties at the centre of the protest, the IHA and the WHO. Drawing from the critical literature and primary sources, this thesis demonstrates that the global health interests of the WHO conflicted with those of the IHA and examines the event that led the IHA to begin its protest. The thesis then interrogates the protest itself, examining what characteristics enabled the protest to be effective. This analysis concludes that the threat presented by the IHA’s protest was core to its effectiveness with factors including the legitimacy, length specificity of the protest’s target playing the role of contributing factors. The final section of this thesis will analyse that the implications of the protest fell short of what the IHA sought when it entered this endeavour. Additionally, this section will summarise some of the implications of the IHA’s protest in light of the 2020 covid-19 pandemic.