The following text contains only the first paragraphs of the policy brief. To read the full publication, please click here or download the pdf on the top right.
Abstract
There are many normative reasons to adopt a Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP), such as building a more just and peaceful world, decreasing gender inequality, dismantling power hierarchies, and fostering stronger inclusion of civil society and marginalized expertise in policymaking. Broadly speaking, it is about the fundamental question: what – and whom – do we place at the heart of our foreign policy?
FFP, with its growing body of research and practice, has in recent years offered both a discursive frame and a material toolbox to advance this engagement. Yet, as the number of states officially pursuing FFP has increased, further motivations have become visible that go beyond a purely normative logic and serve strategic interests. This paper turns to those logics – not to dismiss the normative case, but to examine the broader spectrum of reasons that make FFP politically attractive. It introduces four different strategic interests shaping state engagement with FFP: efficiency, leadership, reputation, and alliances.
