To understand why different nations, even ones with similar cultures and political systems, have pursued various strategies against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, this chapter appraises many factors: the balance of political forces within each nation, the importance attached to privacy, approaches to sexuality, the relative commitment to personal liberty, historical and political traditions, governmental and administrative structures, interactions with already existing legislation, and the value placed on voluntarism. Nevertheless, despite the importance of such contemporary factors, each nation...

To understand why different nations, even ones with similar cultures and political systems, have pursued various strategies against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, this chapter appraises many factors: the balance of political forces within each nation, the importance attached to privacy, approaches to sexuality, the relative commitment to personal liberty, historical and political traditions, governmental and administrative structures, interactions with already existing legislation, and the value placed on voluntarism. Nevertheless, despite the importance of such contemporary factors, each nation tailored its preventive strategies largely to fit domestic traditions of public health. This chapter points out and discusses the points of diversity in the responses of developed countries to the HIV/AIDS epidemics.