Newsletter #37 |
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#37 Women and Ending War (Oct 2014)
To end war, women must be empowered. Using insights from biology and anthropology in her books--Women, Power, and the Biology of Peace and Shift: The Beginning of War, The Ending of War--Dr. Judith Hand explains why.
A global alarm is rising. People from every continent and nation suffer from a growing sense that what we did in the past to resolve serious conflicts (fight and/or emigrate to some other unoccupied new land) no longer works. The nature of the fighting is too destructive and squanders resources desperately needed for other positive and necessary benefits, and there are no longer any unoccupied lands to which we can move. The option to move on is no longer realistic as it simply means we collide with people already living wherever we try to move, and fighting is a form of madness that benefits only an elite few. We are a highly adaptive species, and to adapt we must find a solution that will enable us to resolve conflicts without war. A key piece of that solution will be the empowerment of women, with their concerns for social stability, negotiation, and compromise. 
The good news is that a rise in the status of women around the world is increasing at a surprisingly rapid pace. Also spreading rapidly is understanding of the relationship of the empowerment of women in any society to decreases in war and increases in that society's economic prosperity.
This newsletter lists some events and resources readers may find useful or encouraging that document and are a consequence of this growing enlightenment. 
UN Security Council Resolution 1325
UN Security Council resolution 1325 (S/RES/1325) on women, peace and security, adopted on 31 October 2000. This resolution provides legal underpinnings for women in any country which signed it to demand recognition and rights. Implementation of 1325 is slow, but it is a vital camel's nose under the tent flap. The principle that women are a critical asset and are legally to be included gives women inspiration, and also LEVERAGE. For example, in the United States it was critical to have a civil rights law - because the authorities themselves are then obligated to enforce that law when put on the spot. Martin Luther King, Jr. used the law as a foundation for his work. The resolution reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. Resolution 1325 urges all actors to increase the participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in all United Nations peace and security efforts. It also calls on all parties to conflict to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict. The resolution provides a number of important operational mandates, with implications for Member States and the entities of the United Nations system. 
A Beacon for Young Women
A young Pakistani girl, Malala Yousafzai, is awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. She will be especially able to reach out to young women, to make them aware of their importance and power to effect a monumental social transformation from a global war system to a global peace system. 
WILPF's 100th Anniversary - Uniting to Stop War
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom will hold its 100th anniversary celebration in The Hague, Netherlands, in April 2015, expecting over 1,000 women from around the world. The theme is Women's Power to Stop War. Powerful speakers. Many dozens of breakout sessions. The dream of peace of WILPF's original founders is now ready to be delivered, and the women who will gather here are focused on how to be a part of leading that great social transformation. On the webpage dedicated to the WILPF Congress and Conference they write: "In light of this monumental event, WILPF has given the name to the movement it has been advocating for the past 100 years Women's Power to Stop War. The Congress and Conference will take place in cooperation with the Nobel Women's Initiative. The Congress, open only to members, takes place April 22-25, in the Peace Palace in the Hague. Registration is now open for WILPF section heads and section delegates. Other WILPF members who sign up now will be put on a waiting list, which will be open on 1 February, 2015. The Conference, open to all, takes place April 27-29, 2015. Registration is already open. 
Women from Muslim and Developing Countries Rising
A Yemeni woman, Tawakkul Karman, and two Liberian women, Leymah Gbowee and Ellen Johnson Shirleaf, share the Nobel Peace Prize, 2011. It is very possible that women from countries where women are feeling the pain of war the most will be the strongest leaders in a campaign to end war. 
Academics Finally Getting the Message
Four academics publish a book edited by Valerie Hudson entitled Sex and World Peace that provides extensive documentation from many countries of the pacifying effects of women's empowerment in a wide variety of situations. Where women are better educated and hold influential positions, not only does business thrive better, the society experiences fewer internal and external wars. 
Progress for Women at the United Nations
In a newsletter, the Institute for Inclusive Security reports on 8 notable steps for women in the 2014 meeting of the UN General Assembly. There is now an office of UN Women, the profile and voice of which is growing. The United Nations needs reforming to meet the needs of the current global situation, and UN Women will be critical to helping it reform from within. UN Women will also be a focal point for uniting the world's women to advance the cause of peace. Read these 8 notable steps and be encouraged! 
We Can End War - And Empowered Women Will Play a Key Role
Biologist Judith Hand's books and essays explain why human biology is such that men alone can't end war, but when men and women are leaders and decision-makers in full partnership, ending war is entirely possible. See her blog, "Women: Key to Ending Poverty...and War." |
Quotable Quote
Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war. Martin Luther King, Jr. A Good Book War, Peace, and Human Nature: The Convergence of Evolutionary and Cultural Views. Edited by Douglas P. Fry. 2013. An important work. The latest word in how human nature relates to war. From the perspective of AFWW, it does have a serious weakness in that it overlooks the relationship of women to war and the necessary role of women in ending war. A Good Video The Evolution of a Global Peace System. 20 min. A video based on historian Kent Shifferd's book From War to Peace and produced by the War Prevention Initiative of the Jubitz Family Foundation. It outlines over 20 historical events and trends that are part of the progress we have already made toward a global peace system and the emergence of a global spirit that is reaching out for peace. 
A Future Without War Believe in it. Envision it. Work for it. And we will achieve it. QuickLinks These three quick links are to Dr. Hand's core articles on paradigm shift: To Abolish War Shaping the Future Paradigm Shift: Swift and Enduring More Links: How Long Ending War Would Take Why Women Are the Key to Security The Nine Cornerstones AFWW Newsletter Archives |
Women in Police Forces Change Social Chemistry
Recognition is growing that women serving in police forces changes the social chemistry in ways that enhance the safety and security of communities. They bring a more empathetic and conciliatory attitude to social conflict situations, whether in domestic violence incidences, accidents, or serious crime scenes. They can help communities better deal with restless young men who may become disenchanted by negative interactions with police authorities. Such young men may become cannon fodder for extremists who recruit young men to fight and kill in the name of a cause.
Recognition is growing that women serving in police forces changes the social chemistry in ways that enhance the safety and security of communities. They bring a more empathetic and conciliatory attitude to social conflict situations, whether in domestic violence incidences, accidents, or serious crime scenes. They can help communities better deal with restless young men who may become disenchanted by negative interactions with police authorities. Such young men may become cannon fodder for extremists who recruit young men to fight and kill in the name of a cause.
Harry Potter Star Touts Feminism and Male/Female Partnership
Harry Potter star Emma Watson delivers an impassioned speech defending feminism in 2014 at the United Nations in association with her sponsorship of the HeForShe launch. A changed society that rejects the option of war must be the work of men and women together, and the HeForShe effort recognizes that men will be critical in supporting the growing advancement of women as leaders and decision-makers.
Harry Potter star Emma Watson delivers an impassioned speech defending feminism in 2014 at the United Nations in association with her sponsorship of the HeForShe launch. A changed society that rejects the option of war must be the work of men and women together, and the HeForShe effort recognizes that men will be critical in supporting the growing advancement of women as leaders and decision-makers.
Men Who Are Experts are "Getting It"
In 2003, Donald K Steinberg was appointed Director of the U.S. Department of State/U.S. Agency for International Development Joint Policy Council. He is a career diplomat in service to the United States for 27 years in places like Angola, South Africa, and Afghanistan. In 2004 he delivered a lecture at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA. His title was: "Conflict, Gender, and Human Rights. Lessons Learned in the Field."
Here is an excerpt from that lecture:
"Equally important (to reconstruction efforts after war) is a strong emphasis on the role of women, not just as victims of conflict, but also as the key to preventing and ending conflict. This isn't just a question of fairness or equity. Bringing women to the peace table improves the quality of agreements reached, and increases the chance that these agreements will be implemented successfully, just as involving women in post-conflict governments reduced the likelihood of return to war. Reconstruction works best when it involves women as planners, implementers, and beneficiaries. The single best investment in revitalizing agriculture, restoring health systems, reducing infant mortality, and improving other social indicators after conflict is girls' education. Further, insisting on full accountability for actions against women during conflict is essential to rebuild rule of law."
Steinberg, Donald K. 2004. "Conflict, gender, and human rights: Lessons learned from the field." San Diego, CA: Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. (p. 34).
In 2003, Donald K Steinberg was appointed Director of the U.S. Department of State/U.S. Agency for International Development Joint Policy Council. He is a career diplomat in service to the United States for 27 years in places like Angola, South Africa, and Afghanistan. In 2004 he delivered a lecture at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA. His title was: "Conflict, Gender, and Human Rights. Lessons Learned in the Field."
Here is an excerpt from that lecture:
"Equally important (to reconstruction efforts after war) is a strong emphasis on the role of women, not just as victims of conflict, but also as the key to preventing and ending conflict. This isn't just a question of fairness or equity. Bringing women to the peace table improves the quality of agreements reached, and increases the chance that these agreements will be implemented successfully, just as involving women in post-conflict governments reduced the likelihood of return to war. Reconstruction works best when it involves women as planners, implementers, and beneficiaries. The single best investment in revitalizing agriculture, restoring health systems, reducing infant mortality, and improving other social indicators after conflict is girls' education. Further, insisting on full accountability for actions against women during conflict is essential to rebuild rule of law."
Steinberg, Donald K. 2004. "Conflict, gender, and human rights: Lessons learned from the field." San Diego, CA: Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. (p. 34).
Men Who Are Powerful are "Getting It"
It's good if academics and experts understand the key role of women to creating a peace system, but this knowledge must also eventually reach the movers and shakers, the power brokers. US Secretary of State John Kerry writes an op-ed on the critical role for women in building a lasting peace system. It is given here in full.
Op-Ed, John Kerry, Secretary of State, DipNote Blog, Washington, DC, March 6, 2014
"International Women's Day is more than a moment marked on a calendar. It is a day not just to renew our determination to make the world a more peaceful and prosperous place - but to recognize that a world where opportunities for women grow, is a world where the possibilities for peace, prosperity, and stability grow even more.
I see it every single day as Secretary of State. Even as the Assad regime's barrel-bombing of Aleppo continues, showing the world a brutal regime's true colors, with every act of courage and perseverance, Syria's women show the world their true colors as well. We heard from some of these remarkable women in Montreux just last month.
Their stories spoke to the bravery of countless other Syrian women. One woman from Idlib worked with the Free Syrian Army to ensure that the people of her village could remain in their homes and till their own land. Another woman from Aleppo got restrictions on humanitarian access lifted by offering food to regime soldiers at the checkpoints. If that isn't courage under fire, I don't know what is.
It's not just in Syria that women offer us hope for resolution to conflict. Women are vital to our shared goals of prosperity, stability and peace. That's as true when it comes to ending our battles as it is jumpstarting our economies. The fact is that women bear the greatest burden in war. But their voices are too rarely heard in negotiating peace.
That has to change.
Countries that value and empower women to participate fully in decision-making are more stable, prosperous, and secure. The opposite is also true. When women are excluded from negotiations, the peace that follows is more tenuous. Trust is eroded, and human rights and accountability are often ignored.
In too many countries, treaties are designed by combatants for combatants. It should come as no surprise, then, that more than half of all peace agreements fail within the first 10 years of signature. The inclusion of women in peace building and conflict prevention can reverse that trend.
So how do we get there?
Evidence from around the world has shown that deadly conflicts are more likely to be prevented, and peace best forged and protected, when women are included as equal partners.
That's why we are working to support women in conflict and post-conflict areas around the world.
In Afghanistan, we are advocating for the inclusion and election of women at all levels of governance. Afghan women today are marching forward in ways unimaginable just 10 years ago. They're starting companies. They're serving as members of parliament. They're teaching in schools and working as doctors and nurses. They are the foundation upon which Afghanistan's future is being built.
As the people of Burma work to resolve the conflict that has plagued their nation for decades, the United States is supporting the meaningful participation of women in the peace process and inter-communal peace initiatives.
We know that the security of women is essential to their participation in peace building. That's why we are working to ensure women get equal access to humanitarian assistance and relief, wherever we work.
The United States is also leading by example. My sister has worked for many years at the United Nations, following in the State Department footsteps of our father many years before I did myself. She's a trailblazer. But she's not alone. It's no coincidence that some of our top diplomats and peace negotiators are women - from National Security Advisor Susan Rice, to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, to Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom, to Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman. Today, all but one of the State Department's Regional Assistant Secretaries are women.
We celebrate their accomplishments not just because they are women, but because their work around the world will make all people - men and women, boys and girls - more secure.
Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the presence of every member of society working together to promote stability and prosperity.
No country can succeed unless every citizen is empowered to contribute to its future. And no peace can endure if women are not afforded a central role. So today, we mark the miles women have traveled around the world - but more importantly we commit to the next miles of the journey."
It's good if academics and experts understand the key role of women to creating a peace system, but this knowledge must also eventually reach the movers and shakers, the power brokers. US Secretary of State John Kerry writes an op-ed on the critical role for women in building a lasting peace system. It is given here in full.
Op-Ed, John Kerry, Secretary of State, DipNote Blog, Washington, DC, March 6, 2014
"International Women's Day is more than a moment marked on a calendar. It is a day not just to renew our determination to make the world a more peaceful and prosperous place - but to recognize that a world where opportunities for women grow, is a world where the possibilities for peace, prosperity, and stability grow even more.
I see it every single day as Secretary of State. Even as the Assad regime's barrel-bombing of Aleppo continues, showing the world a brutal regime's true colors, with every act of courage and perseverance, Syria's women show the world their true colors as well. We heard from some of these remarkable women in Montreux just last month.
Their stories spoke to the bravery of countless other Syrian women. One woman from Idlib worked with the Free Syrian Army to ensure that the people of her village could remain in their homes and till their own land. Another woman from Aleppo got restrictions on humanitarian access lifted by offering food to regime soldiers at the checkpoints. If that isn't courage under fire, I don't know what is.
It's not just in Syria that women offer us hope for resolution to conflict. Women are vital to our shared goals of prosperity, stability and peace. That's as true when it comes to ending our battles as it is jumpstarting our economies. The fact is that women bear the greatest burden in war. But their voices are too rarely heard in negotiating peace.
That has to change.
Countries that value and empower women to participate fully in decision-making are more stable, prosperous, and secure. The opposite is also true. When women are excluded from negotiations, the peace that follows is more tenuous. Trust is eroded, and human rights and accountability are often ignored.
In too many countries, treaties are designed by combatants for combatants. It should come as no surprise, then, that more than half of all peace agreements fail within the first 10 years of signature. The inclusion of women in peace building and conflict prevention can reverse that trend.
So how do we get there?
Evidence from around the world has shown that deadly conflicts are more likely to be prevented, and peace best forged and protected, when women are included as equal partners.
That's why we are working to support women in conflict and post-conflict areas around the world.
In Afghanistan, we are advocating for the inclusion and election of women at all levels of governance. Afghan women today are marching forward in ways unimaginable just 10 years ago. They're starting companies. They're serving as members of parliament. They're teaching in schools and working as doctors and nurses. They are the foundation upon which Afghanistan's future is being built.
As the people of Burma work to resolve the conflict that has plagued their nation for decades, the United States is supporting the meaningful participation of women in the peace process and inter-communal peace initiatives.
We know that the security of women is essential to their participation in peace building. That's why we are working to ensure women get equal access to humanitarian assistance and relief, wherever we work.
The United States is also leading by example. My sister has worked for many years at the United Nations, following in the State Department footsteps of our father many years before I did myself. She's a trailblazer. But she's not alone. It's no coincidence that some of our top diplomats and peace negotiators are women - from National Security Advisor Susan Rice, to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, to Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom, to Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman. Today, all but one of the State Department's Regional Assistant Secretaries are women.
We celebrate their accomplishments not just because they are women, but because their work around the world will make all people - men and women, boys and girls - more secure.
Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the presence of every member of society working together to promote stability and prosperity.
No country can succeed unless every citizen is empowered to contribute to its future. And no peace can endure if women are not afforded a central role. So today, we mark the miles women have traveled around the world - but more importantly we commit to the next miles of the journey."
About A Future Without War
We want to provide newsletter readers with a reminder about our extensive website, www.afww.org. The materials can be a reference for personal use, something to share with friends or colleagues who doubt that it would ever be possible to abolish war, and as thought pieces to stimulate discussions, for example, by your students, a book group, or peace activist organizations. You will find on the site:
We want to provide newsletter readers with a reminder about our extensive website, www.afww.org. The materials can be a reference for personal use, something to share with friends or colleagues who doubt that it would ever be possible to abolish war, and as thought pieces to stimulate discussions, for example, by your students, a book group, or peace activist organizations. You will find on the site:
- A Mission Statement
- An Action Plan
- Keynote Speech - Åbo University, Vaasa, Finland 2014 - "War is Not Inevitable"
- Capstone Essay: "To Abolish War"
- "Overview" Essays - 7 essays explaining the core rationale for why it is reasonable to believe we could abolish war if we make it a priority.
- "Cornerstone" Essays - 9 essays explaining each of the broad categories of "good works" that we need to attend to simultaneously in any campaign to abolish war and maintain that state into the future.
- "The Books" - a Table of Contents, reviews, and FREE download of Women, Power, and the Biology of Peace, links to purchase that book and also A Future Without War: the Strategy of a Warfare Transition"
- A Link to the AFWW Blog
- A Map of Nonviolent Cultures
- A Video of Dr. Hand
- Several Movie and Book Reviews
- Archives of AFWW Newsletters
- Links to over 150 Organizations involved in some aspect of the campaign to abolish war
- Miscellaneous AFWW Essays
These are titles of and links to current Miscellaneous AFWW Essays
- Is Ending War Possible? - An Action Plan for a Nonviolent Campaign to End War Permanently
- Ending War is Achievable. Five Reasons Why.
- The Myth of the Savage Savage Needs Debunking
- Locked in the Embrace of Male Biology: A Block to Positive Paradigm Shift
- To Date, Nonviolence Movements Were "Before Their Time." Now They Are Poised to Change History
- A Symphony of Transformation - San Jose, Costa Rica 2008 - Conducted by The Alliance for a New Humanity
- Women's Global Security Summit - New York - 2007
- Essential Human Goodness
- Origins of War and Human Destiny
- Changing the Biological Chemistry of Nonviolence Movements: Women on the Frontlines
- Rick Santorum is a U.S. Presidential Candidate - and a Warmonger
- Capstone Essay: "To Abolish War"
- Sarah Palin and Why All Women are Not Progressives
- Corporations are People? - If so, Democracy is Doomed
- Darwin, Gandhi, Obama, and Berkeley University's Greater Good Science Center all Agree - Humans are Basically Good
- World Peace Map - Nonviolent Cultures
- What Makes Us Happy Will Help Us End War
- Liberian Women Demand and Get Peace!
- Budgeting and War
- "Capitalism: A Love Story" - An AFWW Review
- Obama Wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize - Controversy in America
- Women, Poverty, Economic Development - "Half the Sky"
- The Unveiling of Ardi - How Old Is War?
- Shaping the Future: a Proposal to Hasten a Global Paradigm Shift for the Security and Well-being of All Children Everywhere
- A Cultural Paradigm Shift: Swift and Enduring
- The Mutilation of Wonder Woman
- Gort, Climate Change, Ending War
- Balancing Oxytocin and Testosterone - the Key to Ending War
- Drone Warfare and Moral Choice
- !War is Obsolete!
- Book Review - The Moral Molecule: the Source of Love and Prosperity - Dr. Paul Zak
- Dismantling the War Machine
A Future Without War