Using war as a metaphor has crept into how we talk about public policy. Misrepresenting policy issues as security problems does not solve them, yet many public policy issues are framed using this lens. We’ve had a war on drugs, wars on poverty and wars on red tape, but Australia doesn't describe what’s has been happening in Yemen as a ‘war’. To discuss how ‘securitisation’ can turn problems into threats, we spoke to Allan Gyngell and Allan Behm as part of the 'Economics of a Pandemic' webinar series.

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Host: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett

Allan Gyngell, National President, the Australian Institute of International Affairs

Allan Behm, head of the Australia Institute's International and Security Affairs Program // @Mirandaprorsus

Producer: Jennifer Macey with help from Grace Crivellaro

Theme music is by Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and Thrum