Executive Summary

Today’s era is defined by strategic competition with “autocrats [who] are working overtime to undermine democracy and export a model of governance marked by repression at home and coercion abroad.”^[1] The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the leading autocratic force, operating with both the intent to reshape the democratic rules-based international order and the resources to advance those aims. States interested in upholding the international rules-based order must enhance their ability to withstand PRC coercion and invest in cultivating a values-based security alliance against the spread of authoritarianism. International collaboration on the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda offers a low-cost, high-return opportunity to bolster national and regional resistance to authoritarian coercion while building a coalition of like-minded allies and partners. Increasing national resilience and building alliances that center on enhancing the security of women is a data-backed approach that ensures elevated state stability, democracy, and economic prosperity while increasing the likelihood of a coalition’s willingness to defend the current international rules-based order from those who seek to dismantle it.

An overwhelming body of empirical analysis demonstrates a significant correlation between the security of women and the democratic or authoritarian tendencies of a state. That same analysis also finds that women’s security is a precondition for a state’s level of democracy. Otherwise stated, countries with higher levels of gender equality are more democratic, less corrupt, and more stable. Whereas “states with higher levels of violence against women are less peaceful [internally and] internationally, less compliant with international norms, and less likely to have good relations with neighboring states,” they are also more likely to align with autocratic governance structures.^[1] Authoritarian states such as the PRC understand the benefits of empowered societies, which is why their actions on domestic and international fronts actively seek to suppress women. They fear that like-minded allies and partners will successfully improve security for fifty percent of the population and, as a result, will ultimately tip the scales of power and influence to preserve the values-based international order they desire to uproot.

Interest and investment in the WPS agenda are growing around the globe, but not fast enough. Thus far, 18 Indo-Pacific states and one regional organization have sought meaningful engagement and integration of the WPS agenda by various means, opening a door for cooperation across the spectrum of civil, diplomatic, and military security cooperation engagements.^[2] However, several transformative policy and operational measures must be implemented to achieve the desired end states. To be transformative and enable lasting change in governmental and national behavior, the thoughtful implementation of the WPS agenda at all levels, from national and subnational to the community and household, is required.  First, domestic and international policymakers need to clearly define the security of women as a national security imperative. Second, implementing WPS in the defense sector should focus on training defense personnel to apply a gender perspective to enhance mission effectiveness. Last, those advancing WPS must take an inclusive, context-specific, and localized approach to its integration. To defend the current rules-based international order, like-minded countries must accelerate change and follow through by investing in women’s security.

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Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

AUTOCRACY VS. DEMOCRACY

INTRODUCTION TO GENDERED SECURITY

NATIONAL AND DEFENSE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

OPERATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

RESOURCING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DEFENSE FORCES

CONCLUSION

APPENDIX A: BASELINE WPS INDICES FOR ASSESSMENT, MONITORING AND EVALUATION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

About the Author

Charity Borg is a Women, Peace and Security (WPS) subject matter expert, and US Department of Defense (DoD) certified Gender Advisor with 10 years of experience in international engagements, foreign affairs research, defense and government policy & plans generation and implementation in the Indo-Pacific and Africa. Throughout her career she has directly supported more than 600 bilateral and multilateral senior leader engagements with 35 Indo-Pacific, and 11 African nations. Most recently Ms. Borg served as Planner to the J5 at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command where she was responsible for the commands implementation of the U.S. Strategy on WPS and the WPS Act of 2017 by mainstreaming gender perspectives into planning, policies, and programs at all levels. She is a recognized SME on gender in military operations, strategy, plans, and security cooperation. She holds holds a M.S. in International Relations from Northeastern University and a B.S. in English Literature from the United States Air Force Academy.