Narratives of Tensions and Pressures
The WPS agenda is usually described in terms of four “pillars” of activity: the participation of women in peace and security governance; the prevention of violence and conflict; the protection of women’s rights and bodies; and gender-sensitive relief and recovery programming. Over time, however, the emphasis given to each of these pillars has varied, and different actors have supported different initiatives under each pillar, with different political effects. The story of tension evident in the data collected or co-produced is primarily articulated in this chapter in terms of imbalance across the various pillars (which in itself is interesting, as it presupposes the virtue or desirability of balance). Further, tensions and pressure points are politically and strategically deployed as rationales for (limited) engagement across the agenda as a whole by certain actors.