First Sweden. Then Canada and Mexico. Now Germany, the Netherlands, and Liberia. What these countries, among others, have in common is that they have adopted a feminist approach to foreign policy. And now the United States has shown signs that it might soon join the club.
In establishing a feminist foreign policy, these countries’ governments have decided to prioritize leveraging their foreign policy toolbox to create a more just, equitable, sustainable, and peaceful world. There is hope now that the U.S. will do the same.
Aptly timed to International Women’s Day, Rep. Lois Frankel, Rep. Barbara Lee, and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove yesterday introduced a resolution, pushing for the United States to take up and implement a feminist approach to its own foreign policy. Among other key features, the bill would result in the U.S. government taking a feminist position on its foreign assistance, humanitarian response, trade, diplomacy, defense, immigration, and funding. Importantly, it includes accountability mechanisms to ensure that agencies are developing and measuring progress to determine what’s working and what’s not.
About the author
Lyric Thompson
Lyric Thompson is the founder and CEO of the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative. She is an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and an appointee on the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board.
