Sweden’s getting a new minister for foreign affairs. We don’t know who, yet (maybe we’ll know Tuesday with the government declaration – regeringsförklaring), but let’s do a quick evaluation of the last five years of Swedish foreign policy under Wallström.
Margot Wallström will likely be remembered especially for three things: a feminist foreign policy, not signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and recognizing the state of Palestine. The first, perhaps, will have the most long-lasting impact.
There’s no absolute definition of a feminist foreign policy. It’s new! But we can say, without, hopefully, being way off in the bushes, that a feminist foreign policy proposes that gender equality is both a goal as well as something that is necessary to reach other goals. That means, among other things, that peace is not truly achieved and/or lasting unless women receive equal standing at the negotiating table, that trade agreements need to address women’s industry, that war and civil unrest unequally target women (and other societal segments like the elderly and the young, whose voices are traditionally ignored).
Since Wallström’s original invite, other countries have arrived at the party too. Canada has a Feminist International Assistance Policy (thanks Justin), and France’s foreign policy has been locally dubbed a feminist one, specifying gender-related priorities as a “principle and cross-cutting theme” ( https://www.icrw.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Defining-Feminist-Foreign-Policy-Brief-revised.pdf).
We know, though, that Sweden simultaneously also completed arms transactions with Saudi Arabia, fulfilling previously signed contracts, keeping Sweden in the remunerative, hi-tech arms game, and saying nada/nothing/zero/what? about the status of women in the kingdom. For some this was a betrayal of a feminist foreign policy, and for others it was a bow to realism.
Not signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was definitely a bow to realism. There was simply no one, except for a sliver of hopefuls, that thought this would be helpful to Sweden, or be productive in attaining world peace. Wallström was thrown a bone in the form of a possible, future, observer status, which was made the most of by an understanding press.
Something that was not particularly popular with the press, or with almost anyone else outside of Sweden, was unilaterally recognizing the state of Palestine. Wallström no doubt intended it to in some way jump start, or shock, negotiations, but didn’t look around and notice that no one else was on the train, particularly our own EU partners. There has not been an slew of copycat recognitions, so it’s been slightly embarrassing and the effect has been minimal.
Not that it’s easy to make a mark. Wallström’s feminist foreign policy is perhaps her best legacy – a vision. An idea of a new path. It’s not that bad for five years.