A statement that changes the way the US and the world looked at the Women’s rights and violence against the other half around the world. This one statement changes everything. The statement unequivocally demonstrates the equality women across the world have been striving for and denied. And are still denied across the world in the manors of the developed society and the slums of the developing world.
The US, no doubt, has the ability to influence and implement the policies across the world that it believes in. So what does it take for the administration to make Women’s rights a primary issue and become an integral part of US’ foreign policy. These were the questions Hillary Clinton asked herself numerous times as the First Lady, as a Senator, and as the Secretary of State.
In The Hillary Doctrine, Valerie Hudson and Patricia Leidl look at the progress of struggle for Women’s rights in the US and the role successive administrations played in enforcing policy measures in the country and across the world.
The Hillary Doctrine: Sex and American Foreign Policy
Authors: Valerie Hudson and Patricia Leidl Pages: 456 pages Publisher: Columbia University Press (June 30, 2015) ISBN-10: 0231164920, 978-0231164924
The book begins with a brief history of struggle for women’s rights and chronicles important events in American and world history that brought about changes in the last couple of decades. In the first part, the authors also talk about the important UN resolution 1325, which, for the first time, declared violence against women during a war as war crimes – believe it or not, otherwise pardoned as ‘spoils of war’.
Hillary Clinton established a link between Women welfare, no, women empowerment and international peace and stability. This connection between empowered women and effecting social change, according to her, is the answer to international peace, which was questioned by many. Comparing lack of global women empowerment as a threat to national security and putting it up at the same level as terrorism was questioned and ridiculed by many with the US political spectrum.
Can women empowerment really bring a lasting change? I believe it can. A child that grows up with equal rights at home cannot deny that to others in the society, while a child that grows up seeing subjugated women is likely to take that as the way world works.
In part II of the book, the authors explore different societies and cultures around the world to establish and prove this connection between empowered women and social stability and security. In Should Sex Matter in US Foreign Policy, the authors cite numerous case studies and research that point out the correlation between rising violent crime and sex ratios skewed toward male population. They point out how sex-selective abortion in Asian countries have created a male dominated society and how this male demographic surplus can cause problems for the society and countries like India and China.
The various case studies look at the plight of women from varied regions like Guatemala in South America to women in Saudi Arabia in great detail and show the historical developments that lead to the current subjugation of women in these areas.
That empowered women can build peaceful societies may not sound too convincing, initially. However, through exhaustive research, lessons from history, and case studies, the authors build a strong case for Hillary Clinton’s Doctrine. The book has an academic tone, but the information and observations are interesting enough if you really want to take a look at who’s done what for women empowerment. This new approach to peace propels women empowerment to the top and demands serious consideration.