Abstract

This article analyzes the way that global violence against women is presented as a national security emergency in the United States. In the post-9/11 era, women's issues, including violence against women, have become central in American foreign aid and policy objectives. In particular, American national security, including the threat of terrorism, is now casually connected to gender inequalities abroad. This article investigates the implications of state-based strategies to end violence against women as a means to eradicate national security threats. Using the concept of a "development and in/security nexus," the article explores what has been branded "The Hillary Doctrine" to denote Hillary Clinton's promotion of women's rights during her tenure as Secretary of State alongside the proposed US International Violence Against Women Act in order to assess the impact of "doing" security and "doing" development within anti-violence strategies. The current US foreign policy focus on global violence against women functions to "genderwash" American foreign interests and facilitates the securitization and militarization of programs designed to end violence at the expense of women's well-being.

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