TA NEA, If Women Ruled the World

GNOMI
If Women Ruled the World	12. 8. 2003

Reading the title “If Women Ruled the World…” one has no doubt that feminism has struck again. However, this was the title of an article written by a great man, a thinker of our time, Professor Francis Fukuyama, and we bring it up again since we don’t know many contemporary intellectuals or political analysts concerned with the issue. We really like Fukuyama’s writing: “It could certainly be predicted that the greater participation of women in political life would lead to a less violent world. Perhaps Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, was the female model in antiquity, but in today’s world, women can play a catalytic role against militarism and in favor of peace.” We are delighted that these views are gaining ground among men—finally! However, the most important thing is that they have started to be included in the decisions of summits. In the conclusions of the Thessaloniki European Council, under the initiative of the Greek Presidency, for the first time there is a reference to the role of women and their significant contribution to building peace, promoting democratic values, social awareness, education, and development. Prior to that, of course, there had been specific initiatives by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to highlight and integrate the gender dimension in foreign policy and security policy, in Council meetings, in the Euro-Mediterranean, and in the Balkan Summit. The Athens Forum on “Gender, Peace, and Foreign Policy” was also a great success. It is a fact that gender is an important variable, which is unfortunately overlooked in policy-making. The exclusion of women from foreign policy follows the broader trends of exclusion. Traditional patriarchy resists strongly, despite the rhetoric about women’s rights and gender equality. However, this exclusion is not without consequences. The lack of representation of the experiences, perspectives, priorities, and needs of half the world’s population negatively affects the long-term sustainability of decisions. The worst of all is that male aggression is overrepresented in decisions, resulting in the perpetuation of a culture of violence and the inability to find solutions through dialogue and negotiations. It would be very useful for those who hold the fate of the world in their hands and decide on peace or war to attend even one session of the Israeli and Palestinian women of the Jerusalem Link, to understand what the world would be like if women ruled. Surely, the Middle East and the vicious cycle of violence and bloodshed would have been closed long ago if it were in the hands of women. Of course, as you understand, we are not talking about the warlike ladies Condoleezza Rice and Thatcher. We are not talking about individual female personalities who serve the system of violence and imposition. We are talking about women as a whole, as a gender, about half of humanity that does not possess half of the political power it deserves, that does not co-decide, that does not participate in governing the world, whose voice is not heard, and who is not photographed at summits. Women, as a whole, historically, are not associated with acts of violence. Having lived for centuries in the private sphere, women have developed peace-loving qualities, the transfer of which to public life could drastically change the culture of violence and confrontation into a culture of peace and cooperation. The great difference will be evident when the gender balance present in nature is transferred to decision-making centers. When the peace-loving and altruistic qualities of women find expression in politics and the planning of the future. When the men in power decide to share it with women. When, that is, half becomes whole. It is precisely this vision that inspires and excites the modern women’s movement, as expressed through the Women’s Committee of the European Parliament. The vision of a balanced, safe, and demilitarized world that will coexist peacefully and resolve its differences through dialogue. The vision of a global democratic governance that will reject and exclude violence and war as means of resolving crises, that will distribute the planet’s resources and the goods of science and technology fairly, that will prioritize quality of life, social solidarity, cooperation, environmental protection, and respect for human rights. The vision of a world that regains its unity and balance through the fusion of values, ideas, abilities, and visions of both genders of the human species. Would you not cast your vote for such a world? Anna Karamanu is a Member of the European Parliament for PASOK, and Chair of the Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities Committee of the European Parliament.

ΤΑ ΝΕΑ , 12-08-2003 , p.: N12
Article code: A17712N122
ID:377931