What is feminist foreign policy? Interrogating a developing idea across five national contexts

In recent years, the idea of a feminist foreign policy (FFP) has gained traction in states and international organisations. Over a dozen states have now adopted FFPs and are working to enact them in their international activities. Yet, compared to other international interventions on gender equality such as UNSCR 1325 or CEDAW, there is no agreed-upon text or resolution that addresses what exactly an FFP should consist of. Instead, it remains up to individual states to decide what such policies should focus on. As a result, FFP looks very different across these states, with each country prioritising different areas, referencing different international and national agendas, and adopting different frameworks. This chapter explores the different FFPs of five states that have adopted it thus far, asking what they all aim to do. What similarities and differences exist in these policies? What motivations are apparent in each for following this agenda? Can we talk about a unified FFP across these states, or do we see instead five different (and perhaps competing) agendas? In doing so, this chapter asks what feminism means in each of these policy contexts - what understanding of feminism do they all work from, and is it the same across these different nation-states? And, if not, what problems does this pose for international actions around gender equality?.