Previously, our comrades in the Green Party promised to both increase immigration and halt the construction of new nuclear power should they return to power. Now, the Social Democrats are pledging that the so-called feminist foreign policy will make a comeback in the event of an election victory this fall.

If the red-green bloc, led by the Social Democrats, wins the election in September, the party’s feminist foreign policy will be reinstated. That promise comes from Morgan Johansson (S).

“Our government led the way and it quickly became apparent that a large number of countries joined this political orientation,” he says about the feminist foreign policy, as quoted by TV4.

According to the party, feminist foreign policy is defined as “:censored:6:cdd6bbaa89: equality and respect for the human rights of girls and women” and was introduced by the newly appointed Social Democratic government in 2014. As of the 2022 power shift, this policy was abandoned in favor of European and Nordic-Baltic cooperation.

The then-Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) argued that the feminist foreign policy had stood in the way of Swedish values and interests, something Morgan Johansson disagrees with, referring to Iran and the situation women endure under the Islamist dictatorship.

“In concrete terms, a feminist foreign policy means always highlighting women’s rights, representation, and resources. That perspective has been lost,” he says.

Made an impact

In 2023, researchers at the University of Gothenburg carried out an evaluation and claimed that work for gender equality in trade, aid, and security policy increased during Sweden’s period with a feminist foreign policy.

“It was a powerful way to signal the government’s higher ambitions in the pursuit of gender equality in foreign policy and contributed to strengthening Sweden’s international leadership on gender issues. About a dozen countries have now adopted a feminist foreign policy, including heavyweights like France and Germany, and there is greater mobilization in civil society for these issues today,” said Ann Towns, who wrote the report together with political scientists from Uppsala University and University West, in 2023.

Looking at some of Ann Towns’ other publications, one can find titles like “Thinking about the gender of diplomacy,” “Gender in historical international relations,” “Feminist Foreign Policy and the Battle for Civil Society in Europe,” and “The Empowerment of Women in Diplomacy.”

Increased aid

Another thing the Social Democrats want to reinstate is the one percent target for foreign aid.

“As soon as possible. The government has sharply reduced aid, so we are now at 0.7 percent, which means the gap to 1 percent could amount to around 20 billion kronor. I think most people understand that you can’t make up such a large gap from one year to the next. It will take several years to achieve that,” he says.

Another Social Democratic promise is that Swedes will be forced to mix with immigrants.

READ ALSO: Social Democrats: Forced Mixing Benefits Everyone