Health Insecurity, Violent Extremism, and Sustainable Peace: A Human Security Perspective on Structural Vulnerability and Peacebuilding

The changing nature of global insecurity has challenged traditional understandings of conflict, governance, and peacebuilding. While violent extremism has commonly been studied through ideological, political, and military lenses, increasing evidence suggests that structural inequalities, institutional weaknesses, and human insecurity significantly shape conditions of vulnerability. Among these structural drivers, health insecurity remains insufficiently examined despite its direct implications for social trust, governance legitimacy, and community resilience. This article explores the relationship between health insecurity, violent extremism, and sustainable peace through an interdisciplinary analytical framework integrating Human Security, Structural Violence, and Positive Peace. Using qualitative comparative analysis of fragile and conflict-affected contexts including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen, the study examines how unequal healthcare access, weak public health infrastructure, chronic disease burdens, and institutional neglect contribute to social grievances and governance deficits. The findings suggest that health insecurity may function as an indirect conflict multiplier by reinforcing exclusion, economic hardship, and institutional distrust, while equitable healthcare systems can strengthen legitimacy, resilience, and peacebuilding. This study contributes to emerging interdisciplinary scholarship by reframing healthcare as a strategic element of peace infrastructure rather than merely a developmental or humanitarian concern.