The Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Abstract

The adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 onwomen, peace and security (WPS) in 2000 has prompted the developmentof an extensive WPS scholarship within the field of feminist InternationalRelations. The dynamic scholarly debate is characterised by certain tensionsbetween two feminist groups – the radical revolutionary one whichadvocates a redefinition of the global order and is more sceptical of theagenda, and the pragmatist one accentuating the compromise towards theexisting peace and security governance. This article explores the two mainsubjects of the WPS research – the discourse and implementation, as theyhave been informed by the revolutionary and pragmatist approaches. Thearticle shows that while the academic inquiries into the WPS discoursereveal disappointment with the compromises made regarding therevolutionary vision, this disappointment is also present in the literature onimplementation. The latter literature nonetheless acknowledges feministpragmatism as a way forward given the realities on the ground.