Save us from 'securo-feminism'

Welcome to the brave new world of securo-feminism*. In the long tradition of systems of patriarchal violence representing themselves as the solution to patriarchal violence, the ongoing expansion of draconian "war on terror" measures is being advertised as an advance for women's rights. For instance, countries like the United Kingdom have extended anti-terrorism provisions to now not only strip citizenship from "terrorists", but also from (some of) those convicted of sexual abuse: a "double punishment" reserved exclusively for dual nationals and suspected dual nationals, predominantly Muslims and other racialised targets from former colonies in the Global South. Simultaneously, the British government itself is threatening the rights and safety of abuse survivors and others fleeing violence, with its proposed new bill to "secure the borders" by penalising asylum seekers for arriving by unauthorised routes (never mind that such penalties flagrantly violate international refugee law). In the United States, President Joe Biden's "feminist" credentials include the introduction of new justice mechanisms to address sexual assault within the military: packaged in the same piece of legislation escalating American "defence" spending to unprecedented heights, surpassing even the previous record set by his predecessor Donald Trump.