This working paper written by Alice Nováková, Karim Kamel, and Elin Bergner can enrich and transform nuclear risk reduction (NRR) efforts by challenging traditional, deterrence-based security paradigms and promoting inclusive, human-centered approaches to international security. While nuclear risk reduction typically focuses on technical and diplomatic safeguards, the authors argue that integrating principles of the feminist foreign policy (FFP) perspective—such as justice, empathy, and nonviolence—can help address both operational and strategic nuclear risks more effectively.
The paper critiques the gendered and colonial underpinnings of nuclear discourse and highlights practical synergies between FFP and NRR, such as the Stockholm Initiative and treaties from the Global South. It also warns against superficial applications of feminism in policy and stresses the importance of centering historically marginalized voices. Concluding with eight policy recommendations, the authors advocate for a more resilient, inclusive, and transformative framework that ultimately advances nuclear disarmament.