Protecting Human Security in a ‘War-Ready’ UK

Rethinking Security has published a new report based on a series of roundtable discussions with civil society groups working for peace and human security. These were organised to hear what impact the ‘national security’ agenda of the Strategic Defence Review and National Security Strategy have had on ordinary people and those facing insecurities. Joanna Frew … Continue reading Protecting Human Security in a ‘War-Ready’ UK

25 Years of Women, Peace and Security in the UK: An opportunity to align feminist commitments at home and abroad

After a quarter-century of bipartisan British commitment to the Women Peace and Security agenda, the current Labour government suddenly seems loath to mention or fund it. Toni Haastrup and Jamie J. Hagen make the case for reprioritising the feminist principles of gender equality and inclusion in UK policy. By Toni Haastrup and Jamie J. Hagen … Continue reading 25 Years of Women, Peace and Security in the UK: An opportunity to align feminist commitments at home and abroad

‘Organised irresponsibility’: How Britain’s defence strategy clings to a bygone world

The UK's new Strategic Defence Review is another example of the government talking tough while failing to make tough choices. Mary Kaldor and Luke Cooper argue that the SDR strategizes for a bygone age, in which the US was a dependable ally rather than a threat to European democracy. The German sociologist, Ulrich Beck, coined … Continue reading ‘Organised irresponsibility’: How Britain’s defence strategy clings to a bygone world

Erased from Security: Why the 2025 SDR fails the Women, Peace and Security agenda

The Strategic Defence Review is sub-titled ‘Making Britain Safer’, so where is human security? Eva Tabbasam argues for the urgent recentring of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in UK defence and security strategies. Just days after attending the third annual Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Forum in Kosovo, themed The Security Code for Our … Continue reading Erased from Security: Why the 2025 SDR fails the Women, Peace and Security agenda