There are many women who have contributed a great deal to
improve international relations. Although the role of women in IR has grown
since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women are still in the
minority in all of politics. The role of women should be expanded in order for
women to become more active in the discussions of the international peace
process, because their contribution already has shown that they have the power
to accomplish a peaceful solution to the wars in foreign countries. Women’s
focus on human rights, and their general believe in our global interdependence (Joshua S.
Goldstein) ,
makes their contribution to a peaceful solution invaluable.
Studies have
shown that even with only few women occupying federal offices around the world,
women in these positions have accomplished important reconciliations between
nations and furthered the international peace process. One important example is
Angela Merkel, who was a former research scientist and who became Chancellor of
Germany in 2005. She has changed the story of her country. She is revered for
her effort toward the international peace process in the world. She is the
first Germany leader who is instrumental in trying to keep European countries
together in the European Union. Recently she was heard advocating for peace in
her speech addressing Russian action in the Ukraine. She has become more and
more important to be a leader in her position of chancellor of Germany. She
achieved more respect by her neighboring countries and the US after stating that
”Germany has accepted responsibility for war crimes committed, apologized for these, thus honing awareness of
human dignity “( (Bundeskanzlerin) . This is only one
example how effective a woman’s effort can be in the political arena within the
international system if given the opportunity. If the role of women in the
decision making process of the world was expanded and their position became
more powerful, the world would experience more peace. The role of women has
always been to care for and nurture others and therefore a woman can better understand
people’s concerns.
There are many
other examples of strong women in federal offices who where able to solve issues
that many men had tried for decades to fix and were not able to. Another story
of an important female in government is Ellen Johnson of Liberia. She had
become the first female president elected in an African state. Liberia has been
fighting for democracy, peace, justice, and equality for decades, but only
since Johnson was elected in 2011, has the country been living in relative peace.
There also was progress in the treatment of women, focusing on equality with
less crime and more prosperity. The Liberian nation has become more satisfied
with a female president who is able to bring everyone together. As did Angela
Merkel, she also has received the Nobel Prize of Peace in 2011 (Mansion) .
Another important
female leader in government and politics is Hillary Clinton, the former U.S. Secretary
of State, who had worked hard and successfully for the resolution of conflicts
in foreign countries. She may be running for president at the next election,
which would be great. Women in the U.S. have worked hard to get the vote and since
then the participation of women in government has become a valuable asset. However,
there are still many issues to be fixed and there is still only a minority of
women in federal and local government positions. There is still the issue of
equal pay between women and men in government and the private sector. There also is still need for men to trust
women and give them a chance to contribute more effectively in international relations
and negotiations for peace.
In the Central
Republic of Africa there is a big conflict between Christians and Muslims.
There was much fighting going on since the former president Bozzize was removed
from power by a group of rebels of the minority Muslims. There was a
destabilization of the government and of a threat of the disruption of peace
for the whole country. There was even a risk to bring about another genocide as
it was in Rwanda. Now the country has decided to elect Katherine Samba Panza, a
female, to run the country and bring about peace and cooperation (Radio).
There are many
instances that prove the good works women can do in their own country and on
the international scene as well. As
outlined above, there are already a few important women, like Hilary Clinton,
Angela Merkel, Ellen Johnson, and Katherine Samba Panza in government who have
contributed much to the peace process around the world. However, much is still
to be accomplished. These women who are presently in power have proven that
more conflicts have been resolved by peaceful means and their nations are more
confident of their abilities to fight for human rights, by negotiating
diplomatically and advocating for a peaceful resolution of world conflicts.
Works Cited
Bundeskanzlerin.
www.Bundeskanzlerin.com. 17 September 2014.
www.bundesregierung.de/content/EN/Artikel/2014/09_en/2014-09-17merkel-seoul-friedenspreise_en.html.
Joshua
S. Goldstein, Jan C. Pevehouse. International Relations POS 205 book,
Gender Page 97. New Jersey 07458: Pearson Education, Inc, 2012- 2013 Sixth
Edition. www.pearsoned.com.
Mansion,
Executive. www.emansion.gov.lr. October 2013.
http://www.emansion.gov.lr/2content.php?sub=121&related=19&third=121&pg=sp.
Radio,
New & Media United Nation. www.unmultimedia.org. 27 September 2014.
http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/2014/09/peace-process-in-car-should-now-be-led-by-central-africans-themselves/#.VGuRpuktDIU.
