Analysing Feminist Foreign Policy : Towards the Next Agenda

Kurzfassung/Abstract

Over the past two decades an exciting and enriching theoretical and empirical debate has emerged on feminist foreign policy (FFP). However, we contend that the first wave of the debate falls short in terms of explaining the causal mechanisms that might explain why FFP rises, endures and in some cases is abandoned. In an attempt to redress this and move the debate forwards in terms of agenda, we propose bringing FFP into conversation with foreign policy analysis in relation to three key issues. Firstly, we argue that FFP scholarship should adopt an explicit conception of the state, which we contend it currently does not do. Secondly, there is value added in opening up the ‘black box’ of the state and systematically exploring the effects that both domestic political and leader-focused factors could exert on the pursuit or rejection of FFPs. Thirdly, scholarship could shift in its emphasis from the articulation to the implementation of FFPs. The next agenda of scholarship on FFP could thus contribute to a greater understanding of the drivers of decision-making, conflict and cooperation in international relations, in an era in which gender has become a flashpoint for contestation between international actors.