Feminist Law Based on International Law

Abstract

Intergovernmental international law, marked by diplomacy and foreign policy, used to be—not all that long ago—purely a man’s business. As the title of her book professes, Beate Rudolf wishes to point to the obvious changes in this relationship. Women are not only possible victims and thus the object of international legal protection in political conflicts or areas of contention. Women also have achieved significant legal positions that have national, international, and transnational validity and therefore have, at least theoretically, received recognition. Women actively change international law. They participate in national delegations, they are members in advisory committees and international organizations, and they are significantly involved in non-governmental organizations. The volume, however, also points to the dangers inherent in these new positions.