When we think about foreign policy, most of us imagine diplomats, defense strategies, and national interests defined by power and borders. What rarely comes to mind is people—their safety, dignity, and ability to live free from fear and exclusion.
For decades, traditional foreign policy has been shaped largely by patriarchal, colonial, and exclusionary systems. But two women, Lyric Thompson, Founder and CEO of the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative (FFPC), and Spogmay Ahmed, its Senior Policy Advisor, are leading an ambitious effort to rewrite that story. They are working to redefine what power looks like on the world stage.
This reframing challenges decades of foreign policy orthodoxy. Instead of centering military might or economic dominance, feminist foreign policy centers on care, equality, and sustainability. It’s a shift from protecting power to protecting people.
The mission: to transform deeply rooted and often colonial, patriarchal, and racist foundations of global policy into something more accountable to people, peace, and planet.
Their method: connection, persistence, and a radical belief in hope.
At a time when global politics is increasingly marked by polarization, populism, and the rollback of women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights, Thompson and Ahmed are leading a movement that insists diplomacy can — and must — look different.
I recently spoke with them about the origins of the Collaborative, what keeps them hopeful in dark times, and how feminist foreign policy, once dismissed as a niche Nordic experiment, has become a global force for change.
Read the full article on Substack.com.
Recent Comments