Translating the International to the Local: the Case of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Poland and Armenia

Through case studies on Poland and Armenia, this chapter examines tensions that exist between the ‘cosmopolitan’ liberal peace-building agendas of the international community, which are based upon shared moral values that transcend borders and societies, and a rejection of these global norms which are considered a threat to historical traditions and values at the national level. An example of this dynamic can be observed through the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda which aims to address the lack of female involvement and representation in conflict resolution. The WPS agenda is shaped by gender cosmopolitanism, based on the belief in universal morals and women’s rights that extend beyond national boundaries (Aggestam and True 2020). Although originating at the international level, responsibility for implementing the WPS agenda lies with individual nation-states through the creation of their own National Action Plans (NAP s). As a result, NAP s can vary greatly between nation-states in reflection of their own domestic/foreign policy and national identity, rather than the cosmopolitan values and ethics driven at the international level. Through an analysis of the NAP s from Poland (2018) and Armenia (2019, 2021), and interviews with actors directly engaged in WPS, this chapter argues that the cases explored here demonstrate a conservative interpretation and instrumental use of WPS which undermines the transformative nature of the agenda. This limited scope of implementation restricts any agonistic potential and instead reinforces existing critiques that WPS can easily be co-opted for militarist agendas.