Briefing: How the Next German Government Can Support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)

On January 22, 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force. The legally-binding, multilateral treaty prohibits the development, production, possession, stockpiling, testing, and use of nuclear weapons under international law, thus closing an important legal gap. Currently, there are 86 signatories and 55 state parties.

Unsurprisingly, none of the nine nuclear-armed states (USA, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea) and none of the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) have signed the TPNW. Germany has neither ratified nor signed the TPNW. In this briefing we sketch out short- and medium steps, which the government can take to support the TPNW and nuclear disarmament already during the next legislation.

Briefing: Why the International Arms Trade is a Feminist Issue - and What Germany Can Do About It

By explicitly referencing the Arms Trade Treaty, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda re-confirms its link with the arms (export) control and disarmament agenda. However, Germany’s increasing commitment to strengthen the WPS agenda is not complemented by changes in arms control and disarmament policies. This briefing explores this tension and offers recommendations for what can be done.

Briefing: Feminist Foreign Policy & Lethal Autonomous Weapons

Lethal autonomous weapons (LAWs) are fully autonomous weaponry with no meaningful human interaction once programmed for operation. Based on algorithms and data analysis capabilities, LAWs would determine and fire upon targets entirely independent of human interaction or oversight. The potential for mass human rights violations is rampant, and a feminist foreign policy framework calls for a preemptive ban on these weapons.

Briefing: A Gender Lens on Nuclear Disarmament

CFFP views the elimination of nuclear weapons as one of the most pressing social justice and security issues of this generation. The current moment of increased public awareness of nuclear risks represents an exceptional opportunity to call on public pressure and political will to drive change and make progress towards a world free of nuclear weapons. Feminist perspectives on nuclear issues contribute to diversifying the debate on nuclear weapons and challenges established power relations, as it seeks to expose and challenge the gendered identities, power relations, and symbolic systems on which nuclear politics relies.

How Militarised is Germany’s Foreign Policy?

By providing an analysis of Germany’s foreign and security policy priorities, decision-making processes, and multilateral engagement from a feminist perspective, this policy brief identifies entrenched militarisation in Germany’s foreign and security policy. Ultimately, the briefing argues that Germany must abandon its militarised, state-centric conception of security in favour of approaches capable of addressing the root causes of conflict, eradicating inequality, and fostering inclusive and sustainable peace. It then provides concrete actionable recommendations that can be taken by the German government in this regard. This policy brief was written in collaboration with the German section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), with financial support from the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Exporting Inequality: The Link Between German Arms Exports and Gender-Based Violence

In this study, commissioned by Greenpeace, our Co-Executive Directors Nina Bernarding and Kristina Lunz outline the interlinkages between Gender-based violence (GBV) and the proliferation of conventional weapons. They argue that with inadequate attention paid to the risk of GBV in its risk assessments, Germany fails to effectively address the issue in its arms exports processes and therefore undermines its own commitment to implement the “Women, Peace and Security” agenda in a full and meaningful way. The report highlights ‘good practice’ examples of GBV prevention through comprehensive arms export control and outlines concrete policy recommendations for Germany moving forward.

Feminism, Power and Nuclear Weapons: An Eye on the P5

The goal of any good Feminist Foreign Policy is to rebalance inequitable hierarchies - and these hierarchies are abundant in nuclear policy. So as the nuclear possessing permanent five members (P5) of the UN Security Council begin to engage with Feminist Foreign Policy, what does this mean for their nuclear policy? Toni Haastrup, Yasmeen Silva, Carina Minami Uchida, Lovely Umayam, and Marianna Muravyeva discuss in this report.

Smashing the Patriarchy: The Feminist Case Against Killer Robots

Lethal autonomous weapons, also known as killer robots, are weapons systems that select and fire upon targets without any human intervention. In order to do this, they use Artificial Intelligence (AI) programmed with algorithms and data analysis capabilities. Such weapons are worrying to actors across the policy, technology, and activist sectors for a multitude of reasons. This report highlights some of the issues revealed when a feminist lens is turned onto killer robots, including chapters on militarisation and masculinity, gender-based violence and accountability, and racism and imperialism.

Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy: An Evening With Ray Acheson and Their New Book

Ray Acheson, spoke to Co-Founder and CFFP Germany Co-Executive Director, Kristina Lunz, about their brilliant new book ‘Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy’, published on the 6th of June by Rowman & Littlefield. This book tells the story of the anti-nuclear movement and its recent successful campaign to "ban the bomb", with Ray speaking in detail about the developments and successes in feminist disarmament activism. Watch it back now!

Gender, Power and Arms: The Interlinkages Between International Armament, Masculinities and Discrimination

Fully autonomous weapons are being developed in the context of established norms of gender and power. Norms that over decades have shaped an international security architecture, in which states’ power is being defined by their ability (and willingness) to display and use military power. The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots as well as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons are both international civil society- led campaigns challenging these norms of gender and power.

Together with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation, and on behalf of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, CFFP hosted a discussion on the interlinkages of international armament, discrimination, masculinities and gender inequality. Watch it back now!

The European Arms Trade is a Feminist Issue - and What We Can Do About It

This online discussion, organised by the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation and the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy, reflects on why the international arms trade is a feminist issue, debates the tensions between the EU's arms export and its commitment to gender equality and reflects on if and how the EU arms exports can be rendered more gender-sensitive. Watch it on our YouTube channel now!

Feminist Foreign Policy and Lethal Autonomous Weapons

In 2019, the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy hosted a panel discussion on feminist foreign policy and lethal autonomous weapons in collaboration with the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. Watch our highlights video now!