Hello fellow feminists!
As we edge closer to the holiday season and the end of 2019, we're reflecting on all the connections we've made, projects we've started and the countless cups of coffee behind them all. The Feminist Foreign Policy Project has been a work-in-progress for the past six months and with your help, we've been able to refine that vision. 2019 has been a year of protest and repression, freedom and coups. As feminists, we carry the heaviness of the world with us and are always trying to build a better world for the next generation.
Sexual violence and all forms of gender violence have been a major part of our discussions on feminist foreign policy. Sexual violence is still used as a weapon of empire and militarism, both within the empire and abroad. Chilean feminist collective Las Tesis took to the streets in Santaigo on November 25th to condemn sexual violence, performing their viral piece "Un violador en tu camino". Despite the violence women are subjected to globally, Las Tesis' performance has inspired women all over the world to put on their own performances, from Mexico City to New York City. When we feel weak, fellow feminists in the struggle show strength despite repression. Watch their performance below.
The future will be feminist and in working together to build a feminist foreign policy, we know that by working together and centering the most marginalized, we can make it happen.
Chilean feminist collective Las Tesis went viral with their performance of "Un violador en tu camino" ("A rapist in your path") on 11/25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Other feminists have done their own performances all over the world.
- Jeanine Añez featured on the cover of Forbes Bolivia, featuring the headline "Power is feminine". Despite the feminist washing she has been given, we know that Añez' presidency is anything but feminist. (Forbes México)
- Why the Afghanistan papers matter - Newly released interviews on the U.S. war reveal the coordinated spin effort and dodgy metrics behind a forever war. (Foreign Policy)
- 14 Years After 'Liberation', Afghan Women Are Suffering More Than Ever - Article from 2015 on the long-lasting impact of the war in Afghanistan on Afghan women. (The Nation)
- Repression, use of force risk worsening Bolivia crisis: UN human rights chief - Former president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, condemns the coup in Bolivia. (UN News)
- The All-Women MSNBC Debate Panel Wasn’t a Feminist Victory — It Was a Right-Wing Disaster - [November's] all-women-moderated presidential debate is being lauded as a feminist victory in the press. But it was hardly that. The candidates were just fed inane questions meant to defend the benevolence of the US empire and marginalize political positions deemed too far left. (Jacobin)
- A Group of Progressive Women Just Launched A Working-Class Version of Emily's List - "An EMILY’s List endorsement, or lack thereof, can make or break a candidate, as they pump millions of dollars into races each cycle altogether with their super PAC. Matriarch, however, wants to build power differently, endorsing candidates who focus on economic justice and may not have high name recognition but have deep community support." (The Intercept)
- 'Astonishing Moral Cowardice': Sanders and Khanna Denounce $738 Billion Bipartisan Pentagon Giveaway - "This bill does nothing to rein in out-of-control military spending, prevent unconstitutional war against Iran, limit the poisoning of Americans' drinking water, or end the obscenity of innocent children in Yemen being killed by U.S. bombs."
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From Yifat Susskind of MADRE: Progressive women are developing a feminist foreign policy Co-authored with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), featured in The Hill.
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Shailja Patel on When Feminists Rule the World Podcast!
"This week on When Feminists Rule the World, host Martha Chaves is getting real with poet, playwright and activist, Shailja Patel, and Mi’kmaq lawyer, professor, and activist, Pamela Palmater. They’re talking colonialism, violence, patriarchy, and how they all intersect. We’re tired of white male majorities. Representation matters, and it’s time to decolonize power. Here’s how we do it. When feminists rule the world – leaders will look like all of us. Listen, download and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen."
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12/12 @ 7-9pm: Release of ADI Magazine 2nd Edition in Venice, CA
Adi's second issue features pieces about each country on the American government's travel ban list, from a firsthand chronicle of revolution in Syria to satirical fiction about intervention in Libya to enduring restrictions on movement in North Korea. Through essays, interviews, fiction and poetry, this issue examines how foreign policy, state violence and media representations intersect and delineate the precarious question of what it means to be free. Join us for readings from political writers, published in Guernica Magazine, Freeman's Journal and the newly launched Adi Magazine. RSVP here.
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12/12 @ 8-9:45pm: Colombia Rises Up: A conversation with social justice leaders (online)
A teach-in & conversation about Colombia’s biggest uprising in decades. From Chile to Iraq, people all over the world have been uprising against austerity, neoliberalism and state violence. Colombia, known for having one of the most right-wing governments in the continent, is the latest to join the struggle. Join us for a conversation with Colombian social justice leaders to hear how and why there are mass uprisings and national strikes happening in Colombia. Also, learn what you can do to help. Please register for this call in advance here.
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12/16 @ 8-11pm: Democratic Confederalism From Rojava to North America (online)
Brought to you by the Symbiosis Political Education Working Group and inspired by the Congress of Municipal Movements. This presentation includes lots of pretty pictures and fancy diagrams, so connect via the link if possible for the full effect. And spread the word...if you can't participate, send a delegate! Please register for this call in advance here.
