Feminism in International Relations

Study Notes

Feminism in international relations emerged during WWI, not late, with women's peace activism.
International relations came late to feminism.
Women peace activists at the 1915 Hague Conference provided unique contributions to the discipline.
Their pragmatism reflects their experiences promoting peace and inclusion.
The Women's Peace Party (WPP) and the International Congress of Women (ICW) emerged from the need to create lasting peace.
Jane Addams played a key role in these groups.
The Hague principles foreshadowed themes of gender equality, social justice, and peace.
The ICW and WPP were similar in their goals to early international relations.
Women activists included the need for gender equality, social justice and peace.
They asserted that because women are responsible for children, they best understood the importance of preserving life and preventing military conflict.
The Women's Peace Party (WPP) advocated for replacing balance of power with the concert of nations.
Their platform included an international police force, removing economic causes of war, and controlling the manufacture and sale of arms.
The Hague resolutions and activities closely resembled several UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions from 2000-2015.

Feminist pragmatism is a distinct form of pragmatism in international relations.
It connects the principles of the Hague women's movement with the UN Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
Jane Addams, a key figure in the pragmatist school of philosophy, was instrumental in forming the WPP and the ICW.
The work of pragmatists like Addams is reflected in contemporary feminist knowledge-building.
Post-positivism and international relations methodology are compatible with feminist perspectives.
Their knowledge arises from lived experience and context-specific solutions to conflict.

The WPS agenda emerged from women's activism and thirty years of scholarly discussion.
This agenda emphasizes the interconnectedness of peace, security, and gender equality.
It includes four pillars: prevention, participation, protection, and relief and recovery.
It is rooted in the 1915 Hague principles, which called for democratic control of security and foreign policy, and the involvement of women in peace negotiations.
The WPS agenda, like the 1915 Hague principles, aims to change the traditional war system.
The UNSC resolution 1325, a cornerstone of the WPS agenda, articulates the importance of women's equal participation in peace negotiations, conflict resolution and prevention.
It also addresses the impact of war on civilians, including women and children.
It has encouraged the involvement of women in security sectors, including foreign policy.
Women's involvement in peace processes directly impacts the success of peace agreements, increasing the probability of longer-lasting peace.