Trade has historically facilitated and financed the joint projects of imperialism and militarism, and continues to do so today. Recently, the world has witnessed massive turmoil in the arena of international trade, with trade wars and arbitrary tariffs imposed by the world’s richest country fueling competition over markets and sources of raw materials. Rationalized as a means to ‘counterbalance’ adversaries, they are emblematic of heightened global geopolitical tension.
With countries globally increasing their defense budget, the global economy in turmoil, the ongoing genocide in Palestine, the Ukraine war, and the worsening Iran-Israel conflict, global geopolitics are in freefall. It is imperative to have a dialogue to unpack trade’s role in this global context and understand what this means to communities, women, indigenous peoples, and vulnerable groups, and how it further creates inequality and disparity among people and countries.
Gendered Intersections of Trade and Militarism
On 26 September 2025, APWLD and WIDE+ co-convened a follow-up webinar in the GTC series, 'Chaotic Times in Global Trade: Looking from a Gendered Lens,' to further unpack this intersection of trade and militarization. Speakers addressed the race for critical minerals and intersections with military industries in trade agreements such as IMEC; imperialism and increasing militarisation of the Pacific through security agreements such as AUKUS and QUAD; and the implications of increasing NATO budgets in relation to cuts in ODA.
The discussion was moderated by Joms Salvador from GABRIELA Philippines, and featured the following speakers:
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Azra Sayeed, Roots for Equity (presentation slides).
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Monaeka Flores, Prutehi Guahan (presentation slides).
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Eva Zillén, Kvinna till Kvinna.
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Edme Dominguez, WIDE+ (presentation slides).
Event Recording
Convenors
