Sweden's new right-wing government said Tuesday it was ditching the country's pioneering "feminist foreign policy", launched by the left-wing in 2014, saying the label could be counter-productive.

New Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom announced the move just moments after Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson presented his new government, backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats for the first time.

The "feminist foreign policy" concept has been copied by several countries but also ruffled feathers in others, notably in the Middle East.

Former foreign minister Margot Wallstrom coined the term in 2014, placing gender equality at the heart of Sweden's international agenda.

Its goals included the promotion of economic emancipation, fighting sexual violence and improving women's political participation.

"Gender equality is a fundamental value in Sweden and also a fundamental value for this government", Billstrom, of the conservative Moderates party, told Swedish news agency TT on Tuesday.

"But we're not going to use the expression 'feminist foreign policy' because labels on things have a tendency to cover up the content", he said.

Various publications on the subject were in the process of being taken down from the foreign ministry's website on Tuesday.

Billstrom said there would be no major changes to Sweden's other foreign policy dossiers, such as the country's historic NATO application process.

In 2015, Wallstrom's critical remarks on Saudi women's rights led Saudi Arabia to recall its ambassador to Stockholm.

It is difficult to determine how successful the feminist foreign policy was.

In a document published in 2021, Sweden said that among other things it had helped contribute to new policies on female political representation in Moldova and Somalia, and the inclusion of gender equality issues in Colombia's 2016 peace deal.

It also contributed to new legislation in some 20 countries, often related to gender-based violence, female genital mutilation and child marriage, it said.

- Young climate minister -

Sweden's new government on Tuesday also named a 26-year-old as climate minister, the youngest person to lead a ministry in the home nation of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Romina Pourmokhtari, 26, was until now head of the Liberal party's youth wing. In 2020, she had proposed a meat tax to help fight climate change.

The young minister has in the past been an outspoken critic of Kristersson's move to shift his party closer to the anti-immigration and nationalist Sweden Democrats (SD).

"Ulf Kristersson without SD - Absolutely. Ulf Kristersson with SD - No thanks," she wrote in a post to Twitter in 2020.

Born into a family of Iranian origin in the suburbs of Stockholm, the young woman inherits the climate and environment portfolio, and beats the previous record of 27 years old for youngest minister.

Sweden is home to teen climate activist Thunberg, who launched a massive global movement with millions of youths that has sparked a torrent of debate on the dangers of climate change.

Sweden's minority coalition government was announced on Friday after Kristersson penned a deal with two smaller parties, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals.

The Sweden Democrats will remain outside the government, but have pledged to back it in parliament to give it a majority in exchange for policy commitments, notably on immigration and crime.

The Sweden Democrats were the big winners in a September 11 general election, emerging as the second-largest party behind the Social Democrats, who have dominated Swedish politics since the 1930s.

The significant influence of the Sweden Democrats over the four-party deal has sparked tensions in the Liberal party, whose support is also essential for Kristersson's survival.

Biden gives major abortion speech in final run-up to midterms
Washington (AFP) Oct 18, 2022 - President Joe Biden sought Tuesday to make the battle over abortion a centerpiece of the midterm elections, hoping to help Democrats claw back ground as polls show Americans far more concerned by the economy.

Biden's upcoming speech in Washington marks a newly intensified push by the White House to lift the party ahead of the November 8, when Democrats hope to defy historical trends by retaining their razor-thin control of Congress.

Midterm votes typically see the party in the White House punished and this year the Democrats face a potential tsunami of discontent over an unpopular president, post-pandemic economic woes and fierce cultural wars around schools, gender issues and abortion.

It's abortion, however, that Biden sees as a potential game-changer, with anger seething over the Supreme Court's shock decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the historic ruling from half a century ago that enshrined access to abortions nationwide.

In his speech, Biden will return to the message he has repeatedly hammered, casting Republicans as seeking extreme restrictions on abortion and urging voters to use the midterms to rally around the issue.

Rather than merely protest against Republicans, Biden will frame the election as a chance for Democrats to increase their congressional majority and win an opportunity to set a new, national law on abortion rights -- effectively overturning the Supreme Court decision.

"President Biden will speak about the choice that voters face this November between Republicans who want a national abortion ban that would criminalize doctors for performing care and Democrats who want to codify Roe into law to protect women's reproductive freedom," a Democratic party official told reporters.

"He will say that if the American people elect more Democratic senators in November and keep the House Democratic, the first bill he will send to the next Congress will be to codify Roe -- and he will sign it around the 50th anniversary of the Roe decision."

- Passion yes, but votes? -

There's no questioning the passion swirling around abortion on the political stage.

Roe v. Wade made the procedure legal everywhere, while the Supreme Court decision handed power back to individual state governments, prompting Republican leaderships across the country to swiftly move to impose draconian restrictions or bans.

Biden will note how "nearly half the states in the United States have either passed a ban on abortion, or will shortly, and in many states, abortion is already banned even in cases of rape and incest," the Democratic official, who asked not to be identified, said ahead of Biden's address.

The issue is potent, but questions linger over whether it will move the needle in three weeks.

Democratic officials, including Biden, have repeatedly suggested the possibility of an electoral uprising led by women.

"I don't think the court, or for that matter, the Republicans, who for decades have pushed their extreme agenda, have a clue about the power of American women," Biden said after the court ruling.

"They're about to find out, in my view. It's my hope and strong belief that women will, in fact, turn out in record numbers to reclaim the rights."

The bad news for Democrats, however, is that polls show abortion is far down the list of concerns motivating most voters.

A New York Times/Siena poll out this week showed that of likely voters, 26 percent named the economy as the top issue and 18 percent listed inflation, which is running at the highest rates in four decades.

Abortion scored a lowly five percent of likely voters.

Worryingly for Democrats, the poll also found a stunning shift from women independent voters.

In September, this group backed Democrats over Republicans by 14 points. The latest poll shows them backing Republicans by 18 points.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Biden gives major abortion speech in final run-up to midterms
Washington (AFP) Oct 18, 2022
President Joe Biden sought Tuesday to make the battle over abortion a centerpiece of the midterm elections, hoping to help Democrats claw back ground as polls show Americans far more concerned by the economy. Biden's upcoming speech in Washington marks a newly intensified push by the White House to lift the party ahead of the November 8, when Democrats hope to defy historical trends by retaining their razor-thin control of Congress. Midterm votes typically see the party in the White House punish ... read more