Security Agenda Research Articles

Governing the Feminist Peace: The Vitality and Failure of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. By Paul Kirby and Laura J. Shepherd. New York: Colombia University Press, 2024. 408p. $140.00 cloth, $35.00 paper.

Governing the Feminist Peace: The Vitality and Failure of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. By Paul Kirby and Laura J. Shepherd. New York: Colombia University Press, 2024. 408p. $140.00 cloth, $35.00 paper.

The Force Intervention Brigade in the drc, Civilian Security and Women Peace and Security

Abstract This article examines the UN Security Council (unsc) authorised Force Intervention Brigade (fib) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (drc) and the component of the mandate that articulates civilian security as a rationale for justified force. In examining civilian protection (articulated as both civilian security and as the protection of civilians), we explore the parallels between the women, peace and security agenda and the image – versus the reality – of civilian vulnerability in the drc. In focusing on the narratives of civilian security we explore how the ten years of repeat authorisations for the fib replicate heteronormative and colonial tropes that have ultimately undermined security in the drc and, for international lawyers, undermine peacekeeping principles, authorisations of force, and understandings of consent. The contradictions between the Security Council’s commitments to addressing and preventing conflict-related sexual violence and the mobilisation of the fib are drawn on to demonstrate the ways in which gender simultaneously strengthens the Council’s legitimacy and yet produces few spaces of significant change from a feminist perspective. We conclude that not only is the legacy of the fib detrimental to women’s security in the drc given reports of sexual exploitation and abuse (sea) perpetrated by peacekeepers but that the fib has transformed peacekeeping away from peace, embedding militarised responses to a complex humanitarian crisis.

How factchecking organizations can partner within public health for a healthier internet

Abstract Background Health concerns, narratives and misinformation are growing in digital spaces, which makes them also a vulnerability to being hijacked by disinformation. A workshop was held at GlobalFact11, the global factchecking summit, to take a pulse among the participants on their exposure and work with health misinformation, provide a public health perspective on the role of factchecking, and equip participants with building a business case for developing health-related factchecking programmes. Methods A pre-summit survey of IFCN members and summit participants was conducted to better tune the design of the discussion in the workshop. The workshop included interactive polling and a discussion of case-based scenarios and real-world examples. Results A business case for investing into health-claim fact-checking can consider needs of public health organizations from a variety of perspectives. (1) The global health security agenda, and the politicization of health and hijacking in disinformation influence campaigns; (2) Contributing data for public health infodemic insights reports in formats that provide value to fact-checking in public health context; (3) Developing community resilience programmes by combining fact-checking with community-based interventions; (4) Building partnerships with public health organizations (for fact-checking, capacity building, community media and information literacy, research). Conclusions Many fact-checking organizations got involved in public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they want to access more public health expertise, tools, and partnership modalities that would enable them a more sustainable effort in covering health topics, especially beyond infectious disease.

Under the shadow of legality: A shadow hauntology on the legal construction of the Women, Peace and Security agenda

Abstract Considered a landmark in feminist international politics, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda of the UN Security Council has been the object of many feminist explorations. Feminist legal scholars, however, have grappled with the ‘shadowy’ legality of the agenda, mostly analysing it as an ‘unsuccessful’ legal project: a partial or in progress legal norm, a defective legal form that attests (and furthers) the exile of inclusion of feminists in international law, or yet a formalistic discussion with lesser impact for feminist activists on the ground. Drawing from Avery Gordon’s considerations on taking shadows seriously in our production of knowledge, I propose, however, that reckoning with the shadows of the WPS’s legality enables a more comprehensive analysis of how the agenda has been a successful legal project in its own way. Offering a ‘shadow hauntology’ for the legal status of the WPS, I zoom in on the competing legality perceptions shared by relevant actors, the (gendered and colonially-continuous) shadows that have haunted those perceptions into formation, and how these competing visions have shaped the legality of the WPS as a shadow of its own. This study then offers an alternative way of studying legality both to feminist legal scholarship and studies on international legal sources more broadly. More concretely, it embraces the irresolvability of the legal status of a norm to take stock of the different legal projects and legality perceptions advanced by feminist actors and gender experts, in an effort to understand, in their own terms, the successes achieved.

SMEs as Agents of Peace and Security: Insights from the 2023 YouthConnekt Africa Summit

This study examines the potential of youth-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to contribute significantly to Africa’s peace and security agenda. Drawing on insights from the 2023 YouthConnekt Africa Summit, thepaper highlights the critical role that these enterprises can play in fostering peaceful engagement and addressing the root causes of conflict. By investing in youth leadership capacity, supporting youth-led initiatives, and creating safe spaces for dialogue, governments and stakeholders can leverage on the power of youth-led SMEs to promote positive peacebuilding outcomes. The study further identifies key areas for engagement, including contextual specificity, understanding the root causes of threats and opportunities, going beyond tokenism, andimplementing comprehensive national action plans on youth, peace, and security. While youth-led SMEs offer a promising avenue for peacebuilding. Further research is needed to understand their impact and developeffective strategies for supporting their growth and success.

Managing Complexities in Giant Freshwater Prawn Breeding Facilities in Perak, Malaysia: A Case Study

Malaysia's aquaculture industry has seen significant growth in recent years, with the giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) emerging as a key species of economic importance. This study examines the intricate challenges faced by hatchery owners’ breeding facilities in Manjung, Perak, Malaysia as they strive to maintain and improve the brood stock production of this valuable crustacean. The research focuses on multifaceted, operational aspects of managing giant freshwater prawn hatcheries. Through a combination of field studies guided by qualitative methodology, the identification of primary obstacles encountered at Manjung breeding facilities was evaluated via current management practices. The findings revealed that hatchery owners lack adequate managerial skills in handling operational matters such as budgeting, labor utilization, utilities, marketing, and networking. The most critical factor was cost-effective sourcing of healthy, brood stock supply from local fishermen. Furthermore, the research underscores the importance of genetic diversity in broodstock populations as hatcheries struggle with inbreeding depression, necessitating the development of more robust breeding programs. From the socio-economic standpoint, a holistic approach to addressing these issues, emphasizes the need for increased collaboration between research institutions, government agencies, and private sector stakeholders. The study provided a comprehensive overview of the complexities inherent in managing giant freshwater prawn breeding facilities in Malaysia. By identifying key challenges and potential solutions, it aims to contribute to the sustainable development of this vital sector of Malaysia's aquaculture industry. The findings have implications for policy-making, industry practices, and future research directions in the field of freshwater prawn aquaculture and food security agenda.????????????????

The Internet of Peace: Unpacking the Gender-IoT-peacebuilding Nexus in Sudan and Colombia

This research explored the linkages between gender, internet of things and peacebuilding in conflict and in peace times. A desk review of literature and a case analysis of two countries, Sudan and Colombia, were utilised to collect data for the study. The Feminist Techno-science Framework was applied to the study, to analyse how technologies can be used and designed to promote inclusive social justice and peace and it assesses how women’s experiences and perspectives can inform and shape technological innovation and draws the marginalised to the centre of peacebuilding action. The study concluded that inclusive usage of IoT advances the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda by providing opportunities for women's participation in peacebuilding processes, enhancing their social, economic, political, and environmental engagement, provided that operating legal frameworks for ICT usage are gender inclusive.

Rethinking Human Security Through Feminist Lenses

At the beginning of the 2000s, the increased salience of the concept of human security was a welcome development both in academic and policy circles. Problematizing the state's central role as the principal object of security allowed human beings' security needs and concerns to be put in front and center, at least in theory, if not necessarily in practice. The increasing traction the concept got also allowed several non-traditional security threats, such as environment, health and migration, to be approached through security lenses and put on security agendas. Despite the burgeoning literature and the notable frequency at which the concept of human security got incorporated into policy discussions, it has lost, at least partially, its analytical traction and policy saliency. The lack of a clear definition as well as vague and tactical use of the concept by policymakers have raised concerns about the human security concept turning into an empty signifier. While the human security concept was welcome by some feminist approaches, it is also criticized by others. This article aims to discuss the human security concept through different feminist perspectives and understand its adaptability in the field based on a comparative interpretive analysis of feminist foreign policy initiatives by Sweden, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Spain, Chile and Luxembourg. To realize this aim, we analyze the conceptualization and implementation of feminist foreign policies and how they put the human security approach into practice. We seek to problematize how feminist foreign policies tackle the ambiguities and limitations within the human security framework, and to what degree these policies confront or maintain current power dynamics and state-centered security models. We argue that feminist foreign policies do highlight the problems related to gender equality and contribute to their solutions, but do not challenge patriarchy and the power relations behind it. As such, while they contribute to better implementation of human security as a guiding principle for foreign policy, conventional foreign policy concerns limit the change they can create on the ground.

The prioritisation of climate security: A content analysis of national security agendas

Climate change is leading to severe environmental degradation and ecological breakdown. We are on a path towards 2°C to 3°C warming above pre-industrial levels, yet at the current 1°C warming, we already see drastic and irreversible changes. Arguably, this represents an existential threat to humanity, and by extension, a national security threat to every country in the world. Nevertheless, the securitisation of climate remains contested, and research on states’ approaches to climate securitisation remains limited despite them being the most important actors in climate change policy. In this article, we perform a content analysis on a large corpus of current national security and defence documents from 94 countries to determine: Is climate on national security agendas? To what extent is it prioritised? What are the main ways in which national security agendas handle climate security? We find that although most states in our sample (84%) mention climate in their national security documents (NSDs), they still treat it as a low priority in most cases. All states devote less than a quarter of their NSDs to climate change. Only five states dedicate 10% or more, whilst the majority of states dedicate 3% or less.

Governing the feminist peace: the vitality and failure of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda

Governing the feminist peace: the vitality and failure of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda

Infrastructures of epidemic response: Mpox and everyday repair work in southwestern Nigeria

Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization on 23rd July 2022, however cases of the disease have been detected in Nigeria since the 1970s and more recently since it began spreading in more urban areas of the country from 2017 onward. Nigeria has a strong track record of epidemic preparedness and response, spearheaded by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. Despite being somewhat separate architectures on paper, epidemic response (in particular, integrated disease surveillance and response) relies on a foundation of primary health care, which is inadequately funded not only in Nigeria, but globally. Situating mpox response within this wider landscape, we draw on ethnographic research from September 2022–March 2023 in southwestern Nigeria on lived experiences of mpox and mpox response, focusing on the perspectives of frontline health workers and community-based suspected or confirmed mpox cases. We aimed to understand how prioritization and resource constraints shape mpox response at a local level, including effects on the everyday work of frontline health workers in public health and clinical care who are left to “make do.” We analyze their experiences interfacing with two intersecting infrastructures, community-based surveillance and primary health care. Health workers’ improvisation and “repair work,” which we detail, enables the surveillance system to function in some capacity. However, health workers must regularly contend with competing priorities and routine care that may be sidelined during an outbreak or epidemic. We argue that this reveals the limitations of a global health security agenda as it materializes at a local level and the need for strengthening primary health care for longer-term sustainability.

Women, Peace and Security in EU Interventions: Analysing EULEX and Operation Irini

ABSTRACT This article examines the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the practice of EU-led missions: the EULEX Kosovo and the EUNAVFOR MED IRINI. It relies on qualitative research methods for analysing four elements (mandate, operational environment, in-theatre gender expertize, and gender mainstreaming). This article highlights that the same institutional approach might lead to fundamentally different results. The distinct natures of the missions point towards different EU roles in gender mainstreaming, which can be either foundational elements, such as in the case of EULEX Kosovo, or complementary, as in a maritime military operation with limited implementation opportunities.

Reproductive Injustice and Genetic Counseling in the Socialist Politics of Disability

ABSTRACT This article examines how socialist experts were integrated into the entrenched global agenda of demographic security. The interplay of supranational and national priorities of reproductive politics is examined through three progressively developing practices: (1) research on “congenital malformations” as an argument for surveillance over women since the mid-1950s; (2) involvement of socialist experts in global debates regarding reproductive responsibility in the 1960s; and (3) revision of approaches to the “right to life” during the 1970s and 1980s. The layering and conversion of these practices explains the role of reproductive injustice in extensive segregation against people with disabilities in post-socialist countries.

Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa

The complex opportunities and challenges of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda articulated in the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 of 2000, and other successive resolutions, subject themselves to the proverbial interpretation of either a cup half-empty or a cup half-full. The WPS is a progressive agenda for gender programmes in Africa. The downside is that the WPS agenda appears not known beyond policy and activist circles in the continent. This study sought to interrogate the progress made by the WPS agenda in Africa since the UNSCR 1325 was adopted using secondary research and content analysis (CA) of current literature. It was revealed that despite some challenges faced the gender perspective is not deficient in peacekeeping operations (PKOs) except in peace agreements, but that gender 1325 commitments are mirrored in the mandates of PKOs. The African Union-United Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), showed the least WPS agenda consideration but the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) significantly reflected this. For the rest of Africa, it remains unclear if the agenda is stagnating or going forward. There is a host of structural challenges rooted in masculinity issues and patriarchal mind-sets among others.

Constructing the local woman peacebuilder in the Women, Peace and Security agenda: Iraqi women’s participation in local peacebuilding programmes

The ‘local’ as a site of peacebuilding and as a subject position has played a significant role in scholarly debates on peacebuilding and international intervention, and increasingly so in work on the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Local women are called upon to represent the conflict experience, and localisation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda is becoming part of the rhetoric around implementation. This article examines the impacts of this focus with reference to peacebuilding and women’s inclusion initiatives in Iraq in locations previously held by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. The article analyses three programmatic case studies situated in Ninewa, a governorate in northern Iraq. The analysis offers a four-part typology of local women participants – local women as peacebuilders, a-political (and a-sectarian), non-elite and intermediary – and uses these types to explore how the participation and presence of local women is constructed within peacebuilding programming. By introducing these types, this article makes visible the practical and conceptual impact of the focus on the ‘local’ on the Women, Peace and Security agenda, its implementation in post-conflict contexts, and on how local women and their contributions are perceived in Women, Peace and Security-focused peacebuilding interventions.

Using nominal group technique to identify the planning considerations for UK Armed Forces medical personnel delivering defence engagement first aid training activities

IntroductionDefence Medical Services personnel regularly deploy overseas to deliver training activities as part of defence engagement (DE) to positively influence partners and others. There remains scope for medical planners to...

Nonviolent Knowledge(s) and Unarmed Civilian Protection

Abstract In its claim to take the human, and in particular the civilian, as the referent object of security, human security seeks to build not only physical but ontological security for those who live and work in conflict-affected communities; those who shape conflict and are shaped by it. Unarmed civilian protection (ucp), a method of civilian-to-civilian and civilian self-protection, is led by the civilians who make up conflict-affected communities. Rather than ‘including’ local actors in their protection or seeking to extract information about conflict from them, ucp is a practice in which local and international actors work together to co-create and build spaces of protection. This protection is based on conflict knowledge which enables nonviolent protection methods to be practiced effectively. This knowledge comes not from armed actors nor state delegates, but rather from and with conflict-affected communities. Embracing civilian experiential knowledge of armed and violent conflict, ucp instrumentalises civilians, their knowledge(s) of and relationships to armed conflict in the creation of protection networks. Taking ucp as a case study of nonviolent protection, and ucp practitioners as conflict knowledge producers, this article argues that civilian experiential knowledge of armed conflict is essential to the pursuit of civilian protection. Rather than being a prescriptive set of aims, the human security agenda must take seriously the experiences of civilians affected by conflict, centring their experiential knowledge(s) and agency in order to move beyond the unintentional yet harmful (re)production of binary security logics.

Mapping Grassroot Women’s Representations in Academic Research on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the Global South

Mapping Grassroot Women’s Representations in Academic Research on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the Global South

Assessing the Climate Commitments of the European Union in Energy Challenges Due to the Russia-Ukraine War 2022

This research examines the European Union’s (EU) climate commitments during the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. EU as a proactive international organisation in global climate management, has made various efforts through policy and strategy formulation and implementation mechanisms, as well as by playing an important role in international climate negotiations. However, the Russia- Ukraine War has affected the EU’s energy security and energy transition agenda. This research uses a qualitative approach and case study analysis method, with secondary data sources obtained through library research collection techniques. To answer the research questions, the conceptual framework of ‘environmental security’ is used to analyse the energy response in the EU based on environmental protection considerations, which then illustrates the climate commitments in the EU during the Russia-Ukraine War. The research found that while some of these measures may come at the expense of the EU’s climate mitigation efforts in the short term, the EU’s overall energy response to avoid an energy crisis in its member states still demonstrates a strong commitment to the fight against global climate change.

Energy security governance and its adaptive capacity

PurposeThis study aims to introduce the Adaptive Capacity Wheel (ACW) Framework to assess the adaptive capacity of local institutions to address energy security issues. This study used two comparative cases, representing Indonesia's city level (Palembang) and the province level (South Sumatra Province).Design/methodology/approachData used in the analysis were from face-to-face interviews, site observation and document review. This study conducted a set of semi-structured interviews with the key interviewees.FindingsThe two government institutions (city and province) report the challenges in dealing with energy security. The results found that the stakeholders at the city level are less adaptive than those at the province level. This challenge is substantially visible regarding variety, resources, room for autonomous change and leadership. On the other hand, South Sumatra Province is quite adaptive in terms of variety, resources and leadership. This study offers a potential adoption of the ACW framework as an analytical instrument to review the adaptive capacity of local institutions in addressing energy security.Research limitations/implicationsTransforming data from the qualitative to the quantitative form can lead to a biased interpretation of data.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to explore the adaptive capacity of local institutions to address the energy security agenda through the lens of the ACW framework.