This project dissects the UN Security Council's Women, Peace, and Security agenda's implementation in three francophone West African countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Mali. I demonstrate that the agenda's implementation is shaped by a number of factors, in particular a tension between "security," "peacebuilding," and "development" projects for women, not only in rhetoric but also in the programs designed to implement the agenda. Further tensions arise in the conflicting priorities of local women's organizations, national governments, and the international and transnational policy communities. The effects of these tensions are revealed through interviews with local NGO, government, and United Nations representatives as well as participant observation over nearly two years in West Africa. With insights from African feminism, my findings call into question the assumptions about women's roles in international security policies and the interrelation of actors in policy implementation. 

Gender and Political Conflict is a mid to upper-level undergraduate or early master’s-level textbook that covers how gender matters in violent political conflicts, especially wars. The book describes the actors and activities in violent conflict, the effects of conflict, and through to peacebuilding and recovery. A central theme of the book is understanding everyday experiences and lives of people within conflict, but also acknowledging that violence is a continuum and that gender-based violence does not begin with gunshots or a declaration of war, nor does it end with a peace treaty. The book also takes a wide lens on gender, incorporating studies of masculinities and queer theory as well as studies of women in conflict. It is intended for programs in political science, international relations, and peace and conflict studies. In each of the twelve chapters of this book, insights from feminist international relations theory reveal how gender is embedded in the practice of political conflict.