Why Germany should bolster security beyond defense amidst Trump's global impact
Within its first three months in office, the new Trump administration has caused an upheaval for global peace and security, effectively dismantling the post-World War II international order. The EU and Ukraine have been antagonized, the transatlantic security alliance disrupted, and multilateral institutions and frameworks weakened – all set against the backdrop of an ever more aggressively positioned Russia and a global rise of authoritarianism.
The context rightly calls for a reckoning with Germany’s security policy. However, while Berlin, Brussels, and other European capitals are bolstering their defense capabilities, the almost complete U.S. withdrawal from global development and democracy support has not nearly been met with the same political vigor.
In order to highlight the Trump administration’s impact on peace and security beyond stereotypical framings of hard versus soft security, this analysis is guided by feminist thinking, which means it is looking at systemic causes for and structural approaches to preventing conflict and insecurity. It challenges the prevalent notion of security, reflects on power structures and agency, and critically assesses the distribution of resources.
Why ThinkPeace? Adding Feminist Perspectives to the Discourse
The incoming German government will have to navigate challenges that are existential to Germany, Europe, and international peace and security. Critical, comprehensive, and sustainable solutions are needed at a time when global order, based on international law, is shaken at its core. While the future of feminist foreign policy as a governmental framework in Germany remains in question, this series aims at widening the discussion on critical security policy challenges to feminist perspectives, contributing to a process of shaping discourse and setting priorities within a human security approach.
The endeavor is a collaboration of the Heinrich Boell Foundation’s Global Unit for Feminism and Gender Democracy, the Global Unit for Human Security, and the Foreign and Security Policy Division, co-created with Barbara Mittelhammer.
This first publication of the series applies a feminist perspective to the far-reaching impact of the second Trump administration on global peace and security.
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Table of contents
Context: A Crisis of Human Rights and Civic Space at Global Scale
Reimagining Security After the U.S. Withdrawal
- Security Extends Beyond Defense and the Military Realm – Policies Should Too
- Civil Society on the Brink: How the Global Civil Society Crisis Threatens (Human) Security
- Prioritizing Defense Spending Without Investing in Development Will Have Destabilizing Effects
Navigating the Void: Priorities in the Wake of the U.S. Retreat From Global Development
- A Reckoning With the Realization That Defense-Only Approaches Ultimately Undermine Security
- Collaborative Approaches to Build Back Better
- Funding Structures That Are Based on Feminist Learnings and Principles
- Building on Commitments and Assuming Responsibility
- Critically Reflecting on Global Asymmetries