UNSC Resolution 1325 national action plans in Liberia and Sierra Leone: An analysis of gendered power relations in hybrid peacebuilding

Abstract

This paper considers how the use of 'hybridity' in the peacebuilding literature overlooks the gendered dimensions of hybrid interactions. It does so by examining the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1325 national action plans (NAPs) for Liberia and Sierra Leone. By asking the gendered questions of 'who participates?' and 'how do they participate?' it draws from Mac Ginty's conception of hybridity and traces the compliance and incentivizing power in hybridized peace, as well as the ability of local actors to resist and provide alternatives. However, Mac Ginty's model is found to be inadequate because of its inattention to the gendered nature of power. It is found that with a gendered approach to hybridity, it is easier to trace the processes of hybridization of NAPs in postconflict states where their implementation is limited. In asking the questions of 'who' and 'how', three conclusions about the gendered nature of hybrid peacebuilding are drawn: international intervention relies upon the 'feminization' of local actors; issues framed within the realm of the 'masculine' are more likely to get attention; and the Resolution 1325 agenda in post-conflict states can be subverted by framing it as a 'soft' issue.

From power-blind binaries to the intersectionality of peace: connecting feminism and critical peace and conflict studies

“…20 Linked to this point, a feminist perspective on hybridity can help us to question how local actors are portrayed, especially through a 'feminized' portrayal of 'local' actors in certain cases. 21 Finally, it can help put emphasis on the 'affective and relational dimensions of peace' 22 and especially the personal aspect of encounters between different actors, encompassed in affective notions linked to hybridity. 23 These works offer a substantial contribution to PCS by problematizing the construction of the 'local' and 'international' categories.…”

Child safeguarding in a peacekeeping context: lessons from Liberia

“…The specific "unintended consequences" of the peacekeeping presence in Liberia has also been discussed at length (Aning and Edu-Afful 2013; Edu-Afful and Aning 2015; Henry 2015), especially the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration programmes (Jennings 2007(Jennings , 2009; Munive and Finne Jakobsen 2012), which were a major component of the Liberian peace process after nearly 15 years of intermittent armed conflict and an integral objective of UNMIL. The specific literature on Liberia and security sector reform has focused on the "feminisation" of local actors understood as gendered power of internationals to "protect" local women, who are portrayed primarily as victims (Ryan and Basini 2017). Similarly, youth in Liberia has been labelled "subvertors or agents of peace", with authors judging that most research underestimates youth's agency and potential contribution to peacebuilding (Podder 2015).…”

From gendered war to gendered peace? Feminist perspectives on international intervention in sites of conflict

“…The failure to promote gender equality as an integral aspect of peacebuilding, they argue, reinforces power hierarchies and conflict dynamics, and leads to justice and security sector institutions being unresponsive to local needs (Gordon et al 2015). Feminist studies of the power relations that operate within peacebuilding initiatives 'open the way for a richer analysis of power' and enable researchers to uncover 'hidden or mundane practices and processes' that significantly shape such interventions (McLeod 2015b, p. 52) are privileged whilst others are marginalised (Ryan and Basini 2017).…”