Image Source: Women for Women In principle, the civil war in South Sudan ended after a peace agreement was signed in 2018. In principle, South Sudan’s constitution ensures a 35 percent representation quota for women in government. Again, in principle, initiatives, training, and bills such as the Gender-Based Violence Bill and the Women’s Empowerment Bill … Continue reading Ending Gender-based Violence Requires Comprehensive Engagement — A Reminder to men: Finish what you Started
Category: Gender & Identity
Feeding the Hungry with Feminist Theory
Image Source: Food Navigator (Getty Images) Food security, when every person has access to enough food to meet their dietary needs for a healthy lifestyle, is more important now than ever before. It’s estimated that roughly 345 million people worldwide are struggling with food security. Effects of climate change, the war in Ukraine, and the … Continue reading Feeding the Hungry with Feminist Theory
All Eyes on Qatar: The Ethical Dilemma of Holding International Events in Countries with Poor Human Rights Records
A protester invaded the pitch during the Portugal-Uruguay game, carrying a rainbow flag and wearing a shirt that had two messages; “Save Ukraine” and “Respect for Iranian Women. Image Source: The Herald Sun Two weeks ago, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar kicked off — a decision that has drawn immense criticism since the Middle … Continue reading All Eyes on Qatar: The Ethical Dilemma of Holding International Events in Countries with Poor Human Rights Records
The Empress of ISIS
Image Source: The New York Post Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi are all prominent international terrorists who have plotted and executed attacks against the United States. While each espoused slightly different ideologies, they all had one common goal, and all eventually met their day of reckoning. These four … Continue reading The Empress of ISIS
Why We Should Pay More Attention to LGBTQ+ Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa
Image Source: Emily Leshner, AP // on NBC News Security interests in Africa also exist outside of the strategic competition paradigm. Policymakers should be more involved in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the promotion of minority rights and democratic processes should be our primary motivation, not strategic competition. In the past two years concerns about “democratic backsliding” … Continue reading Why We Should Pay More Attention to LGBTQ+ Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa
Advancing a Feminist Approach to National Security
Image source: United States Institute of Peace Over the first two years of the Biden administration, multiple geopolitical flashpoints—including the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the protests of “Russian mothers” against the invasion of Ukraine, and the recent women-led demonstrations in Iran—have continued to reinforce the agency of women as a catalyst for geopolitical change. However, … Continue reading Advancing a Feminist Approach to National Security
China’s Dismissal of #MeToo as a Tool of Western Influence Harms Women
Image source: Weibo via ABC News Australia The #MeToo movement empowered women all across the globe to speak out against sexual harassment, including in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Yet progress in China has stifled, as social media censorship reframed the public conversation online and those in power wielded their influence to penalize victims … Continue reading China’s Dismissal of #MeToo as a Tool of Western Influence Harms Women
Taking My Dream to the Grave: Afghan Women Under Taliban Rule
Photo Credit: Human Rights Watch Farzana Ahmadi had dreamed of holding a government office after graduating university. Now, she says, she will take her dream to the grave. When the United States military left Afghanistan on August 31, 2021, the U.S. had in place a peace deal with the Taliban. The problem, however, is that … Continue reading Taking My Dream to the Grave: Afghan Women Under Taliban Rule
The Impact of Women’s Involvement in Foreign Policy and Peace Agreements
FARC fighters stand in line during the opening of a ceremony before ratifying a peace deal with the government. (John Vizcaino / Reuters) In 2011, Nicholas Kristof highlighted in a New York Times blog that, “When girls get educated, when women enter the formal labor force, when female talent can be realized, then all society … Continue reading The Impact of Women’s Involvement in Foreign Policy and Peace Agreements
The Mystique of the Female Soldier: Portrayals of Ukrainian Women in Western Media
Dozens of news outlets worldwide have reported on Miss Ukraine Anastasiia Lena’s viral Instagram story. The conflict in Ukraine is one of the largest Europe has seen since World War II. While warfare has changed a lot in 80 years, the way we perceive women’s roles in wartime has remained largely the same. When it … Continue reading The Mystique of the Female Soldier: Portrayals of Ukrainian Women in Western Media