Sunvistas
Synopsis
In the aftermath of terrorist attacks in America (September 11, 2001), the entire world suddenly plunged into a slough of despond, seized by a virtual doomsday scenario including the threat of possible nuclear and biological wars. At no other time, the world got so starkly polarized into opposite camps. War or peace is too heavy a burden to be placed on one government, -- albeit a super power, one organization or even for that matter on one sex. History is replete with instances where women have brought to bear a steadying effect on the socio-political processes, sobering down potential flashpoint situations that might escalate into large-scale conflicts and wars Sustainable peace cannot be achieved if the plight of half of humankind is ignored.
Peace can prevail if women participate fully in peace processes addressing primarily prevention of wars, conflicts and violence and, were it inevitable, raise appeals through international fora to voice their concerns and articulate their viewpoints relentlessly. There is thus a gender dimension to war, peace and disarmament. There are several research studies on gender, but the gender dimension in peace and disarmament has received limited attention. Study of gender perspectives particularly in the context of the current war against terrorism and the unfolding socio-political dynamic affecting South Asian womenfolk might provide answers to some of the world’s chronic conflicts.
An attempt is made in this blog to stimulate debate on the all important subject of "Gender Mainstreaming" potentially capable of affecting more than 50% of humankind. I owe most of the ideas placed herein on Transpolars to a Research Proposal prepared for Post-doctoral Research submitted by my cousin Dr G. Lakshmi for a Fellowship with the Woodrow Wilson Center, USA in 2003. Her research was set out with a view to focusing on "gender perspectives in women's movements against war and militarism" gleaned from the then current events supplemented by those prominent in world history, and synthesize contrasting Oriental and Western perceptions of current happenings, especially in the Middle East and South Asia, with a view to chalking out an agenda for sustainable peace and disarmament initiatives at the global level.
An integral part of my Cousin’ Project was development of a “Conceptual Framework for Gender Mainstreaming keeping in view the international ramifications, based on an analyses of social, political, psychological moorings of the nation states and societies in conflict in these regions. The hypotheses, frames and constructs on transnational gender mainstreaming were to be discussed and field-tested among leading International Organizations, NGOs, thought leaders and opinion makers. The information collected was to be collated and put in the form of a Report, and finally to be placed on a website on "Transnational Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives". Part of the Research follow up was an Agenda that sought to instituionalize "Transpolars" at designated supra national levels within a more decentralized regime of UN Regional Structures and Civil Society.
The Rationale of Transpolars
Modern world spins on wheels within wheels. Bretton Woods is passé, and it is time that world’s enlightened leadership eschewed what may be termed "cobwebs of time warp" in the UN Security Council. As also covert proclivities evinced by successive US Administrations to showcase and demonstrate their paramountcy in world economic and political affairs. The hypothesis of the research project devolved on the assumption that that there might be nothing deterministic in a "Pole and Polar" approach to issues concerning Gender, Peace and Disarmament. A glimmering hope, however, was that it might show the way to bring about a semblance of order from bottom-up, instead of top down, in a chaotic world of international relations via Transpolars, conceived as a supra national turf even if they were at a decentralized Regional level. If a calibrated approach can help conceptualize a framework and agenda for a peaceful multi-polar world order via the Transpolars (Transnational Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives for Peace and Disarmament), -- that, in my opinion, can help billions of the world’s poor, deprived and underprivileged women who wade through abject poverty, their daily predicament in the present day turbulent world, and secure for them a modicum of dignity and honor in their lives.
The Setting: Very soon India is going to polls in April-May 2009, whereat 542 aspiring Law Makers representing a billion strong population go to hustings. The avowed promise of 30% reservations in parliament is still a pipe dream in India. The March '09 G-20 Meet in London points to the emerging scenarios of a multi-polar world. I take this opportunity to use this blogspace to take a peek into the struggle for gender empowerment in general, and in India in particular, project analytical perspectives and insights, and test some hypotheses that would pave the way for institutionalizing Transpolars as Supra National Organizations to tackle the problems poles vs polars in matters of far reaching importance such as ethnic cleansing, inclusion vs exclusion, religion, secularism vs theicractic govts, in a large democracy like India. And at an international level, explore ways and means to place a concrete agenda for peace, disarmament and containing terrorism.
Introduction
The need for Women’s involvement in every aspect of conflict reconciliation and reconstruction has caught the imagination of peace activists the worldover post Sept 11, -- post the Afghan liberation from Taliban, and later with the American onslaught on Iraq. The USA's gungho vows, arrogating for themselves as the self proclaimed leader of the free world, and even going to the extent of disrupting international Law and Order to bend a much demonized Iraq to its knees, is viewed by most third world nations as “belligerence” that undermines the very authority of the United Nations. Can the United States, with an overhang of myriad internal contradictions of culture, race, color and gender, cope with the kind of complexity engendered by its self-proclaimed role as the World’s unchallenged, mighty super cop.
Economic, Socio-Politico-Psychological Issues: In recent years the United States had habitually embarked on war missions (particularly Kossovo and Iraq), alone or in collaboration with its NATO allies, ignoring the rules of the game as a world leader and an enlightened signatory of the UN Charter. The world’s poor as a result are witnessing an inexorable drift in their fortunes. Powerless and voiceless, they are resigned to repeatedly falling into a “slough of despond”, certainly not their creation. Why does USA behave the way it does? Are the world’s democracy high priests and idealogues fatigued with the “tyranny of its tradition? If not, why is the total lack of concern for the fate of millions of the world’s poor and underprivileged? How much of US economic and geo-political interests, and baggage of interventions in conflicts anywhere and everywhere in the world are at stake? Or, is it "masculinity", pure and simple? At this juncture, the arrival of President's Barrack Obama as a rising star on the World's political firmament deserves to be hailed as a beacon of hope.
Disarmament is not an end in itself: It seeks to advance the cause of international peace and security, -- of people, first and foremost, thereby of women -, which in turn frees enormous human and economic resources for more productive uses in society. This is a cause that eminently resonates in Nobel Laureate Dr. Amartya Sen’s words, “the afflicted world we live in is characterized by a deeply unequal sharing of the burden of adversities between men and women. Sustainable peace could hardly be achieved if the experiences and perspectives of half the world’s populace were not given the attention they deserved. Only a pluralistic view of gender, and a “new agenda for action” can help combat gender inequality manifesting in myriad forms. It is time that a “gender dimension in peace and disarmament” got incorporated in the UN Charter.
The Transpolars
Can a confluence of “Transpolars”, the “Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives or (GEMINIS)” as we may call them, trigger an “Osmosis” of thought processes from the “Orient to Occident”, from the Southern to Northern hemisphere, and articulate a “Role Playing Effect”, perhaps for America to relent from its seemingly untenable position as a major player in international relations, and the politics that go with it. Could a sustained process of such a “Reverse Osmosis” anchored in gender mainstreaming from a Southern provenance, and capable of communicating and educating the G-20 of the need for tempered wisdom in playing by the rules of the game. What lessons should the “international community”, and the world polity at large, learn from humanistics, HRD and other behavioral sciences, in order to develop and assimilate deferential respect for a ”Gender- prompted Credo” into their collective conscience?
In the modern globalized world of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), there is a felt need to assimilate and articulate the combined effect of international opposition to nuclear weapons, ethnic conflicts and border wars stemming from the profligacy of affluence and penury of economic deprivation (degenerating into gender exclusion, often raising an ugly head in international terrorism). Can regional level supra-national institutions such as “Transpolars” as enunciated below, become a rallying point for crusading action worldwide by womenfolk? How could such an effort be meaningfully organized? The “pole and polar thematic” hypothesizes “GEMINIS” as an institutional answer with an international mandate, invested with a vision and missions for propagating non-violence, peace and disarmament from grass-roots to supra-national levels. Such a vision might show up as a silver lining of hope in this regard.
Poles & Polars: If the “Pole and Polar” geometry is systematically applied in all its conceptual rigor to causation of the ebb and tide of the alternating war and peace time turbulence in a rigorously defined “conceptual framework”, and seen through a socio-politico-psychological lens as it were, some light at the end of the tunnel might be visible. The super powers, present (G-8) and emerging, (G: 8+7 = 15) dominantly from the North at present, are the poles, and clusters of up and coming, developing nations engaged in trade and economic cooperation with the G-8 are the polars. South Asia, accounting for more than a fifth of the world population does not have a separate UN Economic Commission, subsumed as it is in the larger, heterogeneous Bangkok-based ECAFE. Success in South Asia’s poverty alleviation is a litmus test for the credibility, sincerity and objectivity of US and UN Policy interventions.
In fact, Pole and Polar phenomena of sorts seem to manifests within entities at sub-national levels as well. Devolving on the pole and polar concept will be “Transpolars”, organizations with a pre-assigned gender mainstreaming vision, with mission statements acting as “Global Compacts”. Such cross functional supra-national institutions should enable, undertake, oversee and facilitate propagation of gender participation in peace and disarmament decision-making at local and national level. Consistent with the collaborative approaches in vogue in the modern ICT era, “Transpolars” will spearhead “Networks of Communities of Practice” worldwide in this area. Comprising essentially elected Representatives from the Public, Private sectors and the Civil Society, they will be assigned with a remit to create, build and nurture partnerships/ trusteeships with similar organizations to strengthen research, lobbying, and advocacy of gender issues, organized across national boundaries, uniting women activists from regional epicenters (Geminis) around a common agenda typically focused on role of gender in human rights, war, peace and economic policy issues.
Thanks to ICTs, womenfolk are getting increasingly sensitized to the need for enablement and participation, from the Panchayats (of India) to “Loya Jirgas”of a renaissant Afghanistan, seeking to broadcast their voices on a hitherto unprecedented scale. Certainly it is time that the United Nations or some independent “Transpolars” outside the UN ambit had assessed objectively the economic consequences of President Bush’s 8-years as President of the World’s most powerful democracy, and the unimaginable backlash of pain and deprivation his decisions have caused to US public in general, especially to womankind. Can ICTs germinate bottom-up a series of gender mainstreaming and empowerment processes akin to “Reverse Osmoses” cited above and strengthen the “GEMINIS” as the "Polars" of an enlightened world polity.
The Politico-Psychological-Economic Context
Internal security considerations post Sept 11 apart, the US ignored the UN, and vowed to topple Saddam Hussain may be analyzed in a politco-psychological imbroglio created by nation states (what with a host of personalities, thinktanks prodding them, some vehemently opposing "Regime Change" ). A para from “Beyond the Chains of Illusions”, Eric Fromm, Philosopher-Psychologist, Heidelburg, Germany, quoted below might aptly summarize the political psychology of US military adventurism in Iraq:
“A powerful political leader may conduct a policy which leads to war. He may be motivated by a wish for his own glory and fame, yet he is convinced by his cohorts that his actions are determined exclusively by his patriotism and his sense of responsibility to his country. In all these instances, the underlying and unconscious desire is so well rationalized by a moral consideration that the desire is not only covered up, but also aided and abetted by the very rationalization the person has invented. In the normal course of his life, such a person will never discover the contradiction between the reality of his desires and the fiction of his rationalizations, and hence, he will go on acting according to his desire. If anyone would tell him the truth, that is to say, mention to him that behind his sanctimonious rationalizations are the very desires which he bitterly disapproves of, he would sincerely feel indignant or misunderstood and falsely accused”
In April '03 UK’s Economist Newspaper said, “A regime change of the sort Mr. Bush has in mind for Iraq might re-write all the rules of the oil game. President Bush’s new friendship with Mr. Putin also heralded an important change in the geo-politics of energy. The second Bush to take on Saddam Hussain would probably be long gone from the white house before the oil markets are transformed by Iraqi oil. Don’t write off Saudi Arabia, OPEC, just yet!” Yet another perspective on terrorism, purportedly with a human rights angle, asserts that,“Bush Administration’s restrictions on the rights of suspected terrorists implies that its assessment of the balance between protection of the terrorists’ civil liberties and the public’s right to liberty from violence has been skewed to favor a “tyranny of majority”. However, the effects that Bush Administration’s actions might have had on the probability of renewed terrorist attacks must be considered in the rationalization that, “Terrorists have always banked on slow moving evidentiary procedures in the courts to evade justice. Bush Administration may have saved thousands of lives through its illegal actions, a benefit that more than offsets their illegality or encroachment of civil liberties. American liberalism has always put life first, before liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Americans ought not to die because of die-hard liberal ideology” (Mitchell Langber, USA).
The Praxis of Polarity: Not to be construed as undermining the rationale or political correctness of US foreign policy interventions, what with war clouds hovering in the sub-continent becoming a daily predicament --, the current situation in both Middle East and South Asia, home to more than a third of humanity, warrants a comprehensive, in-depth Study of the dynamics of Gender, Peace and Disarmament. A basic postulate of this Research is that socio-political structures devolving on a multi-polar praxis are inherently “self-evolving” (rather than “ministered” from outside) in view of the "concentric nature" of regional epicenters of a vibrant, tautly matrixed web of world influences that can be theoretically compacted as emanating from within a nine-point circle. Going by the analogy of the nine-point circle theorem, Washington will be the circum-center, and each of nine points on the circum-circle represents smaller regional poles, sustaining own power from respective polar epicenters, which owe their allegiance to the Regional Poles. Scaled down, each of the nine points of the nine point circle theorem, will be regarded a Regional Poles (i.e., circum-centers within their own spheres of regional influence). The Regional Poles can be centrist, can tilt to left or to the right. Despite globalization, assuming points clustered on the polar loci evince a normal distribution, the cycle of prosperity and depression can then be less volatile, bound within a "range" of predictable limits at the Regional Polar level. A socio-politico-psychological dimension such as cited above is important at the Regional level. Such a structured view of globalization may not be exact or deterministis, Mut the concept is worth a try.
Interwoven into the Pole and Polar concepts, colllectively termed hereinafter as "Praxis-Polaris" will be lessons in world peace and security to be drawn from “socio-politico axioms, precepts and conceptual frames” of yester years; and in today’s world they must emerge bottom-up. “Concentric Circles”, "Decentralized Village Republics" (by M.K. Gandhi, eulogiged as the “apostle of peace and non-violence” by Lord Mount Batton, the last British Governor General of pre-independent India), “Small is Beautiful/ Scott-Bader Cooperatives” (E.F. Schumacher (USA), “Pancha Sheela” espoused by the five Asian leaders of the early fifties, Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Chou en Lai (China), S.W.R.D. Bandarnaika (Sri Lanka), Unu (Burma) and Dr. Sukarno (Indonesia) at the Bandoeng Conference, Djakarta (1955)--a perusal of the socio-political environments impacting the course of world affairs those times provide insights and perspectives to enunciate and finetune our current take on Praxis-Polaris (pole and polar concepts) of international relations, and help sharpen our vision for Transpolars.
Post World War-II, while science and technology brought out sea changes in the international balance of power, there may still be time-tested tenets of international relations that hold true even in today’s changed times. The resulting synthesis, firstly, from the principles of world peace and international relations of those times (e.g, Pancha Sheela, enunciated at the Bandeong Conference (1955) by India, and supported by Eastern and South East Asian Nations; and secondly, from an analyses placing it in juxtaposition with a stem-list of issues from the current unipolar world order, might help discern realms beyond “totalitarian, monolithic vs decentralized democratic political orders/ structures”. Such analyses would help identify “institutional structures” for “Transpolars” capable of facilitating more decentralized bottom-up decision making in the UN, with the "Regional Poles" affording an “Interpenetrating Arc of Security” bringing to bear a tempering effect on potential flashpoint situations that may escalate into regional conflicts and wars, building in checks and balances in war-time and development synergies in peace time. This may sound utopian with quite some conceptual jamboree to wade through, but complexity can be dealt with by modern technology, especially the ICTs. The Praxis-Polaris framework espoused herein gains added importance for India in the evolving pulls and pressures of power equations emerging amongst Nations aspiring to go nuclear in the foreseable future.
The Gender Dimension
Gender Advocacy: Women constitute nearly half of humanity. Each conflict and consequent peace-building is different and must be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Factors such as gender, religion, class, nationality and race come together in different ways. However, it is possible to identify certain aspects of conflict settings that are marked by a significant gender dimension. In a recent UN Seminar launch of the publication “Gender Perspectives on Disarmament”, Jayanta Dhanapala, Under Secretary General, UN Department of Disarmament Affairs, exhorted that disarmament simply cannot, and must not, turn a blind eye to the aspirations, interests and ideals of half the humanity. A forthright and unambiguous manner of advocacy of gender concerns had echoed when he said that the benefits of progress from peace and disarmament, “global public goods” craved for universally, must percolate to women directly, and ought to accrue in socially and politically accountable ways. Despite the short shrift meted out to womenfolk in many developing societies, they have achieved a pride of place in the peace firmament, as evident from the fact that as many as ten Nobel Peace Prize winners till date have been women.
War-time Impact: Conflicts have a significant and direct impact on women's lives. The burden of hardship often falls disproportionately on women, regardless of nation, community and class. The latest example in this regard is the plight of Tamil civilian population in the LTTE war zone in Sri Lanka. (Read the Times of India article appended below titled "Brotherhoods - Bush Men and Cave Men" by Ms Ritu Menon, India. While all civilians suffer when war breaks out, it is women and girls who face most risk and danger -- raped or sexually assaulted at the hands of powers that be, or abused, women need protection as they represent the most valuable national assets. Women are the hidden persuaders providing the soothing touch of love, compassion and dignity in preaching morality to war ravaged societies; they no doubt are tender articulators of national values, bearers of future generations, yet most vulnerable to "defilement" and susceptible to "assimilation" by aliens.
What is Gender Empowerment?
Gender and Disarmament linkages are not immediately apparent. Nor has there been much specific research on the gender perspectives of disarmament. The approach outlined below, a product of close collaboration between the Department for Disarmament Affairs and the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the UN Headquarters, was the first attempt at making these important connections. It represents a different angle on the traditionally complex and politically sensitive fields of security, disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. The issues of disarmament remain the same; looking at their gender dimensions casts them in a new light and can suggest effective and sustainable solutions.
Gender Mainstreaming was established as a global strategy for promoting gender equality in the Platform for Action at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Although there were clear mandates on the need to incorporate gender perspectives into disarmament activities, they have not yet been translated into practice. It is important that the United Nations provide leadership in bringing relevant gender perspectives to the center of attention in disarmament affairs.
Gender Mainstreaming is defined by ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions 1997/02 as “the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women's as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality. It is hoped that this packet provides impetus for increased gender mainstreaming on disarmament questions of vital and urgent interest to everyone
Oases of Excellence: Right from the medieval times, the staple of women power in India is enmeshed in strong traditional bonds traceable to “family” as an institution. Indian women strived to transform local, national and global communities through non-violent means. Tolerance, love and sacrifice, traits archetypical to Indian womenfolk is a differentiating factor in social change and reform. They helped generate invaluable social capital conducive to propagating the Gospel of peace and non-violence.
Objectives of this Research
(a)-Women’s activism in peace campaigns in the post second World War era, documenting the socio-economic, socio-psychological and political factors that explain the similarities and differences with a view to mainstreaming gender concerns and their advocacy as an integral component of economic, peace and war time endeavors >>Women the worldover and India in particular offer a number of examples of women’s activism in peace campaigns. There are several instances of peace movements spearheaded by womenfolk from other parts of the world. This Research seeks to document and highlight the role of gender in peace movements, including enablement for averting/ containing the threshold of imminent wars/ conflicts, relative to South Asia (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in particular). The United States’ Interventions in Conflict Resolution and Peace Processes as time tested tools in providing succor from pain and suffering, and “affording the limits to refrain” that can rein in propensity for terrorism and militarism, including the relatively unnoticed “domestic violence” haunting the modern world.
(b)-Explore paradigms linking Gender and Governance for development and peace based on a US vs Indian (expand it later to a South Asian ethos), and assess the scope for replicating successful initiatives integrating gender concerns into peace and disarmament processes>>In a recent essay, titled “many faces of gender inequality”, the Nobel Laureate Dr. Amartya Sen maps out gender disparities in terms of seven inequalities, viz., Mortality Inequality, Natality Inequality, Basic Facility Inequality, Professional Inequality, Ownership Inequality and Household Inequality. Unless these inequalities are ameliorated paving the way for gender mainstreaming, a vast chunk (more than a quarter) of humankind will remain in the oblivion, shut off permanently from participatory democratic processes.
(c)-Developing behavioral constructs, based on a study of differentiating factors in the South Asian and US gender perspectives, for assimilation into a “Peace and Disarmament Credo” for future generations >> Women and women's organizations can be effective social agents to resolve strife and conflict. However, their potential in this regard remains dormant and underutilized. Historically the Orient has a prolific record of women participating in peace movements. While the American womenfolk adopted peace (and disarmament) as an end in itself, Indian women demonstrated the same in their support to non-violence, a means to an end. This Research will identify the historical, cultural and social processes that helped sustain stable, peaceful societies in USA and India over the past six decades since World War–II, and develop behavioral constructs for assimilation into a “credo” for priming the mantle of disarmament and peace.
(d)-Recommending methodological process frames with a Gender Ethos for Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-Integration and incorporating the same into a “Conceptual Framework” >> Democracy, development, gender equality and peace are inter-related. A deferential respect for the same is endemic in the Orient. Armed conflicts not only maim and kill soldiers and civilians, but also can ruin national economies and set back development goals. While Bosnia and Kosovo offer test cases in this respect, the current War on Terrorism acquires added significance particularly because women have endured far too long a period of suppression of basic human rights. The role played by American and South Asian women peace activists in “Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration” processes, and mechanisms to integrate such processes into a “modus operandi” for mandates/ decisions on war, disarmament and peace-keeping in the twentyfirst century, perhaps through web-based fora, and eventually institutionalizing the same will be an important part of this Research.
Synopsis
In the aftermath of terrorist attacks in America (September 11, 2001), the entire world suddenly plunged into a slough of despond, seized by a virtual doomsday scenario including the threat of possible nuclear and biological wars. At no other time, the world got so starkly polarized into opposite camps. War or peace is too heavy a burden to be placed on one government, -- albeit a super power, one organization or even for that matter on one sex. History is replete with instances where women have brought to bear a steadying effect on the socio-political processes, sobering down potential flashpoint situations that might escalate into large-scale conflicts and wars Sustainable peace cannot be achieved if the plight of half of humankind is ignored.
Peace can prevail if women participate fully in peace processes addressing primarily prevention of wars, conflicts and violence and, were it inevitable, raise appeals through international fora to voice their concerns and articulate their viewpoints relentlessly. There is thus a gender dimension to war, peace and disarmament. There are several research studies on gender, but the gender dimension in peace and disarmament has received limited attention. Study of gender perspectives particularly in the context of the current war against terrorism and the unfolding socio-political dynamic affecting South Asian womenfolk might provide answers to some of the world’s chronic conflicts.
An attempt is made in this blog to stimulate debate on the all important subject of "Gender Mainstreaming" potentially capable of affecting more than 50% of humankind. I owe most of the ideas placed herein on Transpolars to a Research Proposal prepared for Post-doctoral Research submitted by my cousin Dr G. Lakshmi for a Fellowship with the Woodrow Wilson Center, USA in 2003. Her research was set out with a view to focusing on "gender perspectives in women's movements against war and militarism" gleaned from the then current events supplemented by those prominent in world history, and synthesize contrasting Oriental and Western perceptions of current happenings, especially in the Middle East and South Asia, with a view to chalking out an agenda for sustainable peace and disarmament initiatives at the global level.
An integral part of my Cousin’ Project was development of a “Conceptual Framework for Gender Mainstreaming keeping in view the international ramifications, based on an analyses of social, political, psychological moorings of the nation states and societies in conflict in these regions. The hypotheses, frames and constructs on transnational gender mainstreaming were to be discussed and field-tested among leading International Organizations, NGOs, thought leaders and opinion makers. The information collected was to be collated and put in the form of a Report, and finally to be placed on a website on "Transnational Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives". Part of the Research follow up was an Agenda that sought to instituionalize "Transpolars" at designated supra national levels within a more decentralized regime of UN Regional Structures and Civil Society.
The Rationale of Transpolars
Modern world spins on wheels within wheels. Bretton Woods is passé, and it is time that world’s enlightened leadership eschewed what may be termed "cobwebs of time warp" in the UN Security Council. As also covert proclivities evinced by successive US Administrations to showcase and demonstrate their paramountcy in world economic and political affairs. The hypothesis of the research project devolved on the assumption that that there might be nothing deterministic in a "Pole and Polar" approach to issues concerning Gender, Peace and Disarmament. A glimmering hope, however, was that it might show the way to bring about a semblance of order from bottom-up, instead of top down, in a chaotic world of international relations via Transpolars, conceived as a supra national turf even if they were at a decentralized Regional level. If a calibrated approach can help conceptualize a framework and agenda for a peaceful multi-polar world order via the Transpolars (Transnational Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives for Peace and Disarmament), -- that, in my opinion, can help billions of the world’s poor, deprived and underprivileged women who wade through abject poverty, their daily predicament in the present day turbulent world, and secure for them a modicum of dignity and honor in their lives.
The Setting: Very soon India is going to polls in April-May 2009, whereat 542 aspiring Law Makers representing a billion strong population go to hustings. The avowed promise of 30% reservations in parliament is still a pipe dream in India. The March '09 G-20 Meet in London points to the emerging scenarios of a multi-polar world. I take this opportunity to use this blogspace to take a peek into the struggle for gender empowerment in general, and in India in particular, project analytical perspectives and insights, and test some hypotheses that would pave the way for institutionalizing Transpolars as Supra National Organizations to tackle the problems poles vs polars in matters of far reaching importance such as ethnic cleansing, inclusion vs exclusion, religion, secularism vs theicractic govts, in a large democracy like India. And at an international level, explore ways and means to place a concrete agenda for peace, disarmament and containing terrorism.
Introduction
The need for Women’s involvement in every aspect of conflict reconciliation and reconstruction has caught the imagination of peace activists the worldover post Sept 11, -- post the Afghan liberation from Taliban, and later with the American onslaught on Iraq. The USA's gungho vows, arrogating for themselves as the self proclaimed leader of the free world, and even going to the extent of disrupting international Law and Order to bend a much demonized Iraq to its knees, is viewed by most third world nations as “belligerence” that undermines the very authority of the United Nations. Can the United States, with an overhang of myriad internal contradictions of culture, race, color and gender, cope with the kind of complexity engendered by its self-proclaimed role as the World’s unchallenged, mighty super cop.
Economic, Socio-Politico-Psychological Issues: In recent years the United States had habitually embarked on war missions (particularly Kossovo and Iraq), alone or in collaboration with its NATO allies, ignoring the rules of the game as a world leader and an enlightened signatory of the UN Charter. The world’s poor as a result are witnessing an inexorable drift in their fortunes. Powerless and voiceless, they are resigned to repeatedly falling into a “slough of despond”, certainly not their creation. Why does USA behave the way it does? Are the world’s democracy high priests and idealogues fatigued with the “tyranny of its tradition? If not, why is the total lack of concern for the fate of millions of the world’s poor and underprivileged? How much of US economic and geo-political interests, and baggage of interventions in conflicts anywhere and everywhere in the world are at stake? Or, is it "masculinity", pure and simple? At this juncture, the arrival of President's Barrack Obama as a rising star on the World's political firmament deserves to be hailed as a beacon of hope.
Disarmament is not an end in itself: It seeks to advance the cause of international peace and security, -- of people, first and foremost, thereby of women -, which in turn frees enormous human and economic resources for more productive uses in society. This is a cause that eminently resonates in Nobel Laureate Dr. Amartya Sen’s words, “the afflicted world we live in is characterized by a deeply unequal sharing of the burden of adversities between men and women. Sustainable peace could hardly be achieved if the experiences and perspectives of half the world’s populace were not given the attention they deserved. Only a pluralistic view of gender, and a “new agenda for action” can help combat gender inequality manifesting in myriad forms. It is time that a “gender dimension in peace and disarmament” got incorporated in the UN Charter.
The Transpolars
Can a confluence of “Transpolars”, the “Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives or (GEMINIS)” as we may call them, trigger an “Osmosis” of thought processes from the “Orient to Occident”, from the Southern to Northern hemisphere, and articulate a “Role Playing Effect”, perhaps for America to relent from its seemingly untenable position as a major player in international relations, and the politics that go with it. Could a sustained process of such a “Reverse Osmosis” anchored in gender mainstreaming from a Southern provenance, and capable of communicating and educating the G-20 of the need for tempered wisdom in playing by the rules of the game. What lessons should the “international community”, and the world polity at large, learn from humanistics, HRD and other behavioral sciences, in order to develop and assimilate deferential respect for a ”Gender- prompted Credo” into their collective conscience?
In the modern globalized world of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), there is a felt need to assimilate and articulate the combined effect of international opposition to nuclear weapons, ethnic conflicts and border wars stemming from the profligacy of affluence and penury of economic deprivation (degenerating into gender exclusion, often raising an ugly head in international terrorism). Can regional level supra-national institutions such as “Transpolars” as enunciated below, become a rallying point for crusading action worldwide by womenfolk? How could such an effort be meaningfully organized? The “pole and polar thematic” hypothesizes “GEMINIS” as an institutional answer with an international mandate, invested with a vision and missions for propagating non-violence, peace and disarmament from grass-roots to supra-national levels. Such a vision might show up as a silver lining of hope in this regard.
Poles & Polars: If the “Pole and Polar” geometry is systematically applied in all its conceptual rigor to causation of the ebb and tide of the alternating war and peace time turbulence in a rigorously defined “conceptual framework”, and seen through a socio-politico-psychological lens as it were, some light at the end of the tunnel might be visible. The super powers, present (G-8) and emerging, (G: 8+7 = 15) dominantly from the North at present, are the poles, and clusters of up and coming, developing nations engaged in trade and economic cooperation with the G-8 are the polars. South Asia, accounting for more than a fifth of the world population does not have a separate UN Economic Commission, subsumed as it is in the larger, heterogeneous Bangkok-based ECAFE. Success in South Asia’s poverty alleviation is a litmus test for the credibility, sincerity and objectivity of US and UN Policy interventions.
In fact, Pole and Polar phenomena of sorts seem to manifests within entities at sub-national levels as well. Devolving on the pole and polar concept will be “Transpolars”, organizations with a pre-assigned gender mainstreaming vision, with mission statements acting as “Global Compacts”. Such cross functional supra-national institutions should enable, undertake, oversee and facilitate propagation of gender participation in peace and disarmament decision-making at local and national level. Consistent with the collaborative approaches in vogue in the modern ICT era, “Transpolars” will spearhead “Networks of Communities of Practice” worldwide in this area. Comprising essentially elected Representatives from the Public, Private sectors and the Civil Society, they will be assigned with a remit to create, build and nurture partnerships/ trusteeships with similar organizations to strengthen research, lobbying, and advocacy of gender issues, organized across national boundaries, uniting women activists from regional epicenters (Geminis) around a common agenda typically focused on role of gender in human rights, war, peace and economic policy issues.
Thanks to ICTs, womenfolk are getting increasingly sensitized to the need for enablement and participation, from the Panchayats (of India) to “Loya Jirgas”of a renaissant Afghanistan, seeking to broadcast their voices on a hitherto unprecedented scale. Certainly it is time that the United Nations or some independent “Transpolars” outside the UN ambit had assessed objectively the economic consequences of President Bush’s 8-years as President of the World’s most powerful democracy, and the unimaginable backlash of pain and deprivation his decisions have caused to US public in general, especially to womankind. Can ICTs germinate bottom-up a series of gender mainstreaming and empowerment processes akin to “Reverse Osmoses” cited above and strengthen the “GEMINIS” as the "Polars" of an enlightened world polity.
The Politico-Psychological-Economic Context
Internal security considerations post Sept 11 apart, the US ignored the UN, and vowed to topple Saddam Hussain may be analyzed in a politco-psychological imbroglio created by nation states (what with a host of personalities, thinktanks prodding them, some vehemently opposing "Regime Change" ). A para from “Beyond the Chains of Illusions”, Eric Fromm, Philosopher-Psychologist, Heidelburg, Germany, quoted below might aptly summarize the political psychology of US military adventurism in Iraq:
“A powerful political leader may conduct a policy which leads to war. He may be motivated by a wish for his own glory and fame, yet he is convinced by his cohorts that his actions are determined exclusively by his patriotism and his sense of responsibility to his country. In all these instances, the underlying and unconscious desire is so well rationalized by a moral consideration that the desire is not only covered up, but also aided and abetted by the very rationalization the person has invented. In the normal course of his life, such a person will never discover the contradiction between the reality of his desires and the fiction of his rationalizations, and hence, he will go on acting according to his desire. If anyone would tell him the truth, that is to say, mention to him that behind his sanctimonious rationalizations are the very desires which he bitterly disapproves of, he would sincerely feel indignant or misunderstood and falsely accused”
In April '03 UK’s Economist Newspaper said, “A regime change of the sort Mr. Bush has in mind for Iraq might re-write all the rules of the oil game. President Bush’s new friendship with Mr. Putin also heralded an important change in the geo-politics of energy. The second Bush to take on Saddam Hussain would probably be long gone from the white house before the oil markets are transformed by Iraqi oil. Don’t write off Saudi Arabia, OPEC, just yet!” Yet another perspective on terrorism, purportedly with a human rights angle, asserts that,“Bush Administration’s restrictions on the rights of suspected terrorists implies that its assessment of the balance between protection of the terrorists’ civil liberties and the public’s right to liberty from violence has been skewed to favor a “tyranny of majority”. However, the effects that Bush Administration’s actions might have had on the probability of renewed terrorist attacks must be considered in the rationalization that, “Terrorists have always banked on slow moving evidentiary procedures in the courts to evade justice. Bush Administration may have saved thousands of lives through its illegal actions, a benefit that more than offsets their illegality or encroachment of civil liberties. American liberalism has always put life first, before liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Americans ought not to die because of die-hard liberal ideology” (Mitchell Langber, USA).
The Praxis of Polarity: Not to be construed as undermining the rationale or political correctness of US foreign policy interventions, what with war clouds hovering in the sub-continent becoming a daily predicament --, the current situation in both Middle East and South Asia, home to more than a third of humanity, warrants a comprehensive, in-depth Study of the dynamics of Gender, Peace and Disarmament. A basic postulate of this Research is that socio-political structures devolving on a multi-polar praxis are inherently “self-evolving” (rather than “ministered” from outside) in view of the "concentric nature" of regional epicenters of a vibrant, tautly matrixed web of world influences that can be theoretically compacted as emanating from within a nine-point circle. Going by the analogy of the nine-point circle theorem, Washington will be the circum-center, and each of nine points on the circum-circle represents smaller regional poles, sustaining own power from respective polar epicenters, which owe their allegiance to the Regional Poles. Scaled down, each of the nine points of the nine point circle theorem, will be regarded a Regional Poles (i.e., circum-centers within their own spheres of regional influence). The Regional Poles can be centrist, can tilt to left or to the right. Despite globalization, assuming points clustered on the polar loci evince a normal distribution, the cycle of prosperity and depression can then be less volatile, bound within a "range" of predictable limits at the Regional Polar level. A socio-politico-psychological dimension such as cited above is important at the Regional level. Such a structured view of globalization may not be exact or deterministis, Mut the concept is worth a try.
Interwoven into the Pole and Polar concepts, colllectively termed hereinafter as "Praxis-Polaris" will be lessons in world peace and security to be drawn from “socio-politico axioms, precepts and conceptual frames” of yester years; and in today’s world they must emerge bottom-up. “Concentric Circles”, "Decentralized Village Republics" (by M.K. Gandhi, eulogiged as the “apostle of peace and non-violence” by Lord Mount Batton, the last British Governor General of pre-independent India), “Small is Beautiful/ Scott-Bader Cooperatives” (E.F. Schumacher (USA), “Pancha Sheela” espoused by the five Asian leaders of the early fifties, Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Chou en Lai (China), S.W.R.D. Bandarnaika (Sri Lanka), Unu (Burma) and Dr. Sukarno (Indonesia) at the Bandoeng Conference, Djakarta (1955)--a perusal of the socio-political environments impacting the course of world affairs those times provide insights and perspectives to enunciate and finetune our current take on Praxis-Polaris (pole and polar concepts) of international relations, and help sharpen our vision for Transpolars.
Post World War-II, while science and technology brought out sea changes in the international balance of power, there may still be time-tested tenets of international relations that hold true even in today’s changed times. The resulting synthesis, firstly, from the principles of world peace and international relations of those times (e.g, Pancha Sheela, enunciated at the Bandeong Conference (1955) by India, and supported by Eastern and South East Asian Nations; and secondly, from an analyses placing it in juxtaposition with a stem-list of issues from the current unipolar world order, might help discern realms beyond “totalitarian, monolithic vs decentralized democratic political orders/ structures”. Such analyses would help identify “institutional structures” for “Transpolars” capable of facilitating more decentralized bottom-up decision making in the UN, with the "Regional Poles" affording an “Interpenetrating Arc of Security” bringing to bear a tempering effect on potential flashpoint situations that may escalate into regional conflicts and wars, building in checks and balances in war-time and development synergies in peace time. This may sound utopian with quite some conceptual jamboree to wade through, but complexity can be dealt with by modern technology, especially the ICTs. The Praxis-Polaris framework espoused herein gains added importance for India in the evolving pulls and pressures of power equations emerging amongst Nations aspiring to go nuclear in the foreseable future.
The Gender Dimension
Gender Advocacy: Women constitute nearly half of humanity. Each conflict and consequent peace-building is different and must be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Factors such as gender, religion, class, nationality and race come together in different ways. However, it is possible to identify certain aspects of conflict settings that are marked by a significant gender dimension. In a recent UN Seminar launch of the publication “Gender Perspectives on Disarmament”, Jayanta Dhanapala, Under Secretary General, UN Department of Disarmament Affairs, exhorted that disarmament simply cannot, and must not, turn a blind eye to the aspirations, interests and ideals of half the humanity. A forthright and unambiguous manner of advocacy of gender concerns had echoed when he said that the benefits of progress from peace and disarmament, “global public goods” craved for universally, must percolate to women directly, and ought to accrue in socially and politically accountable ways. Despite the short shrift meted out to womenfolk in many developing societies, they have achieved a pride of place in the peace firmament, as evident from the fact that as many as ten Nobel Peace Prize winners till date have been women.
War-time Impact: Conflicts have a significant and direct impact on women's lives. The burden of hardship often falls disproportionately on women, regardless of nation, community and class. The latest example in this regard is the plight of Tamil civilian population in the LTTE war zone in Sri Lanka. (Read the Times of India article appended below titled "Brotherhoods - Bush Men and Cave Men" by Ms Ritu Menon, India. While all civilians suffer when war breaks out, it is women and girls who face most risk and danger -- raped or sexually assaulted at the hands of powers that be, or abused, women need protection as they represent the most valuable national assets. Women are the hidden persuaders providing the soothing touch of love, compassion and dignity in preaching morality to war ravaged societies; they no doubt are tender articulators of national values, bearers of future generations, yet most vulnerable to "defilement" and susceptible to "assimilation" by aliens.
What is Gender Empowerment?
Gender and Disarmament linkages are not immediately apparent. Nor has there been much specific research on the gender perspectives of disarmament. The approach outlined below, a product of close collaboration between the Department for Disarmament Affairs and the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the UN Headquarters, was the first attempt at making these important connections. It represents a different angle on the traditionally complex and politically sensitive fields of security, disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. The issues of disarmament remain the same; looking at their gender dimensions casts them in a new light and can suggest effective and sustainable solutions.
Gender Mainstreaming was established as a global strategy for promoting gender equality in the Platform for Action at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Although there were clear mandates on the need to incorporate gender perspectives into disarmament activities, they have not yet been translated into practice. It is important that the United Nations provide leadership in bringing relevant gender perspectives to the center of attention in disarmament affairs.
Gender Mainstreaming is defined by ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions 1997/02 as “the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women's as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality. It is hoped that this packet provides impetus for increased gender mainstreaming on disarmament questions of vital and urgent interest to everyone
Oases of Excellence: Right from the medieval times, the staple of women power in India is enmeshed in strong traditional bonds traceable to “family” as an institution. Indian women strived to transform local, national and global communities through non-violent means. Tolerance, love and sacrifice, traits archetypical to Indian womenfolk is a differentiating factor in social change and reform. They helped generate invaluable social capital conducive to propagating the Gospel of peace and non-violence.
Objectives of this Research
(a)-Women’s activism in peace campaigns in the post second World War era, documenting the socio-economic, socio-psychological and political factors that explain the similarities and differences with a view to mainstreaming gender concerns and their advocacy as an integral component of economic, peace and war time endeavors >>Women the worldover and India in particular offer a number of examples of women’s activism in peace campaigns. There are several instances of peace movements spearheaded by womenfolk from other parts of the world. This Research seeks to document and highlight the role of gender in peace movements, including enablement for averting/ containing the threshold of imminent wars/ conflicts, relative to South Asia (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in particular). The United States’ Interventions in Conflict Resolution and Peace Processes as time tested tools in providing succor from pain and suffering, and “affording the limits to refrain” that can rein in propensity for terrorism and militarism, including the relatively unnoticed “domestic violence” haunting the modern world.
(b)-Explore paradigms linking Gender and Governance for development and peace based on a US vs Indian (expand it later to a South Asian ethos), and assess the scope for replicating successful initiatives integrating gender concerns into peace and disarmament processes>>In a recent essay, titled “many faces of gender inequality”, the Nobel Laureate Dr. Amartya Sen maps out gender disparities in terms of seven inequalities, viz., Mortality Inequality, Natality Inequality, Basic Facility Inequality, Professional Inequality, Ownership Inequality and Household Inequality. Unless these inequalities are ameliorated paving the way for gender mainstreaming, a vast chunk (more than a quarter) of humankind will remain in the oblivion, shut off permanently from participatory democratic processes.
(c)-Developing behavioral constructs, based on a study of differentiating factors in the South Asian and US gender perspectives, for assimilation into a “Peace and Disarmament Credo” for future generations >> Women and women's organizations can be effective social agents to resolve strife and conflict. However, their potential in this regard remains dormant and underutilized. Historically the Orient has a prolific record of women participating in peace movements. While the American womenfolk adopted peace (and disarmament) as an end in itself, Indian women demonstrated the same in their support to non-violence, a means to an end. This Research will identify the historical, cultural and social processes that helped sustain stable, peaceful societies in USA and India over the past six decades since World War–II, and develop behavioral constructs for assimilation into a “credo” for priming the mantle of disarmament and peace.
(d)-Recommending methodological process frames with a Gender Ethos for Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-Integration and incorporating the same into a “Conceptual Framework” >> Democracy, development, gender equality and peace are inter-related. A deferential respect for the same is endemic in the Orient. Armed conflicts not only maim and kill soldiers and civilians, but also can ruin national economies and set back development goals. While Bosnia and Kosovo offer test cases in this respect, the current War on Terrorism acquires added significance particularly because women have endured far too long a period of suppression of basic human rights. The role played by American and South Asian women peace activists in “Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration” processes, and mechanisms to integrate such processes into a “modus operandi” for mandates/ decisions on war, disarmament and peace-keeping in the twentyfirst century, perhaps through web-based fora, and eventually institutionalizing the same will be an important part of this Research.
