The securitization of the Covid-19 pandemic in Greece: a just or unjust securitization?

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to assess the justness or unjustness of the securitization of Covid-19 in the Greek case. To do so, the Just Securitization Theory, is used as articulated by Rita Floyd to examine the following research question: Was there a just initiation and just conduct in the case of the securitization of Covid-19 in Greece? To answer this question, the methodology employed is a mix of methods proposed by Rita Floyd, such as the recourse to natural sciences to establish the actuality of the threat in combination with discourse analysis in political and scientific actors' speech acts and qualitative analysis of legal policy documents. In total, 85 statements and legal documents were examined for the period 26/02/2020 to 15/06/2020 which is considered to be the first "phase" of the pandemic. Overall, the analysis shows that the securitization of the Covid-19 pandemic in Greece was just. More specifically, there was indeed an existential threat, the securitizing actors were sincere in their intentions to securitize Covid-19, whereas the good gained from this securitization (physical survival and protection of public health) was greater than the harm inflicted (suspension of liberties). In addition, the results show that the securitization of Covid-19 in Greece did not cause more insecurity than it aimed to solve and that the overall response from the Greek Government was proportionate to the threat and respectful of the human rights of the people secured by the threat.

Untitled

“…Furthermore, Floyd states that just securitization theory can be crafted along with the guidelines of just cause, just referent object, and just means. Importantly, Floyd's framework has been demonstrated as suitable for evaluating the ethical qualities of securitization surrounding the COVID-19 crisis (Dimari & Papadakis, 2022).…”

“…Scholars and analysts have identified numerous pronounced uses of securitization in the way COVID-19 has been talked about by medical professionals, political leaders, and media commentators, among other relevant speakers with a public platform (e.g., Al-Sharafat, 2020;Dimari & Papadakis, 2022;Kirk & McDonald, 2021;Krasna, 2020;Rogers, 2020;Vivek, 2020). Many of these analytical accounts highlight the problematic aspects of securitized framing (e.g., Grančayová, 2021;Rogers, 2020).…”

Legal Aspects of Measures Implemented for the Management of SARS-Cov-2 Crisis in Greece

“…In another relevant study performed by Papadakis and Dimari (2022), a number of legal documents and public announcements produced by the Greek legislative and executive authorities were examined in regard to the justification of the measures imposed suspending public liberties in order to provide for the physical survival and protection of public health. The article concludes that while the measures enforced were indeed extraordinary in regard to the situation, they were nonetheless proportionate to the threat presented by the pandemic (Dimari & Papadakis, 2022).…”