EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - The recent nomination by incoming US President Barack Obama of senator Hillary Clinton as the next secretary of state and Susan Rice as the new US Ambassador to the UN confirms that more countries are choosing to appoint females to represent their countries in the international arena. Commissioner Wallstrom wants more women in EU foreign policy jobs Since Madeleine Albright became US secretary of state in 1996, the US has been represented overseas by a woman for eight years out of twelve. And in Africa, there are eight female ministers of foreign affairs. The image of Carme Chacon, Spain's defence minister, inspecting the troops while eight months pregnant crystallised this image of change. But out of 27 defence ministers in the EU, only four are women. For foreign ministers, the gender balance is even worse, with only two females. We may have accepted in principle that politics should include both women and men, but this has not been adequately applied to foreign and security policy. A recent report by Operation 1325, a Swedish umbrella organisation working for women and peace, revealed that nine out of ten civilians sent to work in conflict areas are men. Women are not regarded as having enough knowledge or competence in security questions and, as a result, European peace-making missions remain a project by and for men.
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - The recent nomination by incoming US President Barack Obama of senator Hillary Clinton as the next secretary of state and Susan Rice as the new US Ambassador to the UN confirms that more countries are choosing to appoint females to represent their countries in the international arena.
Commissioner Wallstrom wants more women in EU foreign policy jobs
Since Madeleine Albright became US secretary of state in 1996, the US has been represented overseas by a woman for eight years out of twelve. And in Africa, there are eight female ministers of foreign affairs.
The image of Carme Chacon, Spain's defence minister, inspecting the troops while eight months pregnant crystallised this image of change. But out of 27 defence ministers in the EU, only four are women. For foreign ministers, the gender balance is even worse, with only two females.
We may have accepted in principle that politics should include both women and men, but this has not been adequately applied to foreign and security policy. A recent report by Operation 1325, a Swedish umbrella organisation working for women and peace, revealed that nine out of ten civilians sent to work in conflict areas are men. Women are not regarded as having enough knowledge or competence in security questions and, as a result, European peace-making missions remain a project by and for men.
Just out of interest, why aren't women regarded as sound on security issues ? After all, what they mean is, women aren't considered as reflexively militaristic as men, which was why Hillary had to be a democratic hawk. Frankly, I don't agree that might makes right anymore than conquest makes safe. One day, I hope our lords and masters might understand this, but I don't have the essentialist belief that it will necessarily be a woman who makes the connection. keep to the Fen Causeway
