Deploying Feminism (BRIDGING THE GAP SERIES)

A detailed account, based on fieldwork and interviews, of how Women, Peace and Security norms are militarized and put at the service of operational effectiveness.International organizations and governments want to increase women's participation in military operations and peacebuilding. Gender equality is increasingly seen as the antidote to conflict, a key factor in achieving stability. While feminist activism inspired the emergence of these norms on gender and conflict, they were institutionalized through the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, with the military at the forefront of those changes. In Deploying Feminism, Stéfanie von Hlatky tells the story of how the military has been delegated authority to advance gender equality as part of their activities, while simultaneously tackling increasingly complex threats. Drawing upon fieldwork and interviews, she illustrates how NATO, the world's foremost alliance, has even embedded these ideas in the planning and execution of its missions. For troops deployed on NATO missions, this often means seeking out women in their operating area to improve intelligence gathering activities. While this helps the mission, does it help women and conflict-affected communities? Because of the military's focus on operational effectiveness above all else, von Hlatky argues that there is a distortion of WPS norms, as gender equality concerns fade into the background. Looking at NATO's ongoing operations in Iraq, Kosovo, and the Baltics, Deploying Feminism details the process by which Women, Peace and Security norms are militarized and put at the service of operational effectiveness. Further, it shows why an adjustment is necessary for gender equality to become a true planning priority.

Reviews

In Deploying Feminism, Dr. Von Hlatky looks at what happens when the Women, Peace and Security agenda is converted into NATO military operations, asking how gender norms have changed NATO operations, but also what gets lost in translation when those norms meet military culture. She delivers an engaging first-person account through interviews with NATO commanders, soldiers and officials in Kosovo, the Baltics, Iraq and Brussels. The book is an important contribution for practitioners and scholars alike: it draws important lessons on how militaries and international peace missions can do a better job on gender and offers a thoughtful take on how the international Women, Peace and Security agenda has been transformed.