CIRIS

Policy Analysis

Vol. 7 (2026): Panoply Journal

Strengthening U.S. and Hemispheric Security through Biomedical Technology: the Dominican Republic's Strategic Role under the America First Global Health Strategy

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71166/7ppq2f73
Submitted
6 February 2026
Published
13 May 2026

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed structural weaknesses in global health supply chains optimized for efficiency rather than resilience. Disruptions in China and India interrupted the flow of active pharmaceutical ingredients, diagnostics, and protective equipment, underscoring that health security is inseparable from economic stability and geopolitical strategy. In response, the United States released the America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS) on September 18, 2025 (U.S. Department of State, 2025), reframing global health engagement around three pillars—Safer, Stronger, and More Prosperous—with emphasis on bilateral cooperation, supply-chain diversification, and partner self-reliance rather than traditional multilateral aid.

This paper argues that biomedical nearshoring in the Dominican Republic (DR) offers a practical pathway to operationalize the AFGHS in the Western Hemisphere. Drawing lessons from China’s state-enabled innovation system (Sun, 2003; Keane & Zhao, 2014) and the semiconductor industry’s evolution under the CHIPS and Science Act (The White House, 2022; Edwards, 2023), the analysis highlights the importance of coordinated yet transparent public–private–academic collaboration. From an international-relations perspective, the AFGHS reflects a hybrid of neo-realist pragmatism and liberal cooperation (Waltz, 1979; Nye, 1990; Mearsheimer, 2018). Despite implementation challenges, biomedical nearshoring in the Dominican Republic represents a scalable model of shared security and prosperity.

References

  1. Baldwin, D. A. (2020). Power and international relations: A conceptual approach. Princeton University Press.
  2. Edwards, J. (2023). Chips, subsidies, security and great power competition. Survival, 65(3), 7–28.
  3. Keane, M., & Zhao, E. J. (2014). The reform of the cultural system: Culture, creativity and innovation in China. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137327772_10
  4. Nye, J. S. (1990). Bound to lead: The changing nature of American power. Basic Books. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2151022
  5. Park, S. (2023). Semiconductors at the intersection of geoeconomics, technonationalism and global value chains. Social Sciences, 12(8), 466. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12080466
  6. Sun, Y. (2003). China’s national innovation system in transition. Journal of Economic Issues, 37(3), 559–569.
  7. The White House. (2022, August 25). Executive order on the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Washington, DC.
  8. U.S. Department of State. (2025, September 18). America First Global Health Strategy. Washington, DC.
  9. Waltz, K. N. (1979). Theory of international politics. Addison-Wesley.