Lessons from Feminist Foreign Policies: Rethinking the EU’s Role in Promoting Peace and Human Rights Amid Anti-Gender Politics and Authoritarian Populism

Gender equality and human rights are core principles of EU policies, backed by the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda and UN Security Council Resolution 1325. These frameworks laid the foundation for feminist foreign policy (FFP), emphasising gender equality, and many countries have adopted them. However, the growth of anti-gender politics and authoritarian populism threatens progress in gender justice and human rights. Drawing on Judith Butler’s theoretical framework, which views anti-gender politics as a psychosocial phenomenon, this paper argues that Butler’s concept of the “phantasmatic scene” reveals the psychological logic underlying authoritarian populism. It also examines how FFP can serve as a political tool to confront the phantasm and how the EU can adapt its gender equality policies in response. The paper recommends viewing anti-gender mobilisation as a global security risk, empowering women’s and LGBTIQ+ movements in policymaking, and adopting intersectional approaches to peacebuilding. Without using its institutional power to combat anti-gender politics, the EU’s dedication to peace, democracy, and equality will remain inadequate.