Gender and Militarization - Essay Example

Part 8 started with the story of a woman calling out for justice to take place, and demanding the arrest of the man who raped her. When I read the letter that is written by the woman, at first I was shocked seeing that the woman was explaining what happened to her when she was raped, as well as mentioning the name of the man who raped her. Then the letter started to sound to me like a global call for help against the violence that is perpetrated against women in society. The words of her call were simple yet they were powerful, and showed the state of oppression and pain she was living in. 2. The author pointed in her writing that human security should deal with both gender and militarization. I did not believe the militarization could affect the role of gender in the society or create discrimination. However, after reading the first two sections of the book, I started to realize that military power plays a significant role when it comes to gender and most of the human security issues and concerns are because of military power. 3. Human security is an approach that focuses on the security and the safety of the people and the communities instead of states. It also allows us to identify various kind of violence, including cultural and structural violence; and how these are related to gender especially women (197). 4. Colonization can affect citizen identity and change the way a specific society was created. Indeed, most people, who suffer colonization or a series of civil war, even though they gain independent they still suffer from insecurity and the fear of being colonized again. In fact, most people experience trauma and the unfoldings of the past conflicts bring them sad memories, which might lead to depression. 5. Most countries exist in a militarized sphere, where people live with polices and law that are created by a fraction of people, who mostly have higher privilege and power than normal citizens. In addition, most of the laws that are enacted by the few people in society are forced on normal citizens, and they have to accept and adhere to them without questioning the authority. Indeed, in some societies, the people, who are confident enough to question the authority and power, are viewed as terrorist and a source of corruption. 6. When caregiving institutions are militarized, most of the people who work there are women. However, these do not receive any significant form of support. 7. Culture governance, patriarchy, and militarization define gender violence. These are among the major aspects that can be considered as root of gender violence. 8. Militarization and militarized mentalities is not always a direct violence. This is because it can start with structural violence. 9. Women in the Pacific point out that the major causes of conflict in the region are linked to gender inequality and inequality. The most form of inequality in this case is the unequal distribution of resources between men and women in society. For instance, in wealth distribution, men get to benefit the most, as compared to their female counterparts. It is a pity to see women suffering from this kind of discrimination. In fact, it makes me think about the nature of marriage in such countries, considering that men are the main cause of oppression to women. Then it is surprising how marriage can survive in such scenarios, as the institution of marriage involves the relationship between husband and wife, and father and daughters. Nonetheless, it is more saddening that the men in such countries do not participate in the promotion of the rights of women. 10. The resolution 1325 by the UN that called for the involvement of more women in the community structure did not affect the Pacific women at a significant measure. In my opinion, I believe that creating laws and announcing them to the public and asking other governments to adhere to them in their functions does not always work. Instead of creating all these laws and policies, the United Nation and other organization should work on understanding the history and the roots of the issues in Pacific communities, in order to be able to convince them of the importance of changing their patriarchal system. In addition, the United Nations should educate the governments of different countries before educating the people. This is because, most of the corruption cases occur because of the resistance to change that is exhibited by the individuals in power, in fear of loss of their powerful positions. However, such corrupt leaders do not realize that their dictatorial nature is what might make them lose their positions, just as in the case of Egypt, Libya, and Syria. 11. Different organization in the Pacific region lack resources to achieve their main goal of creating peace and equality between both genders. 12. The code of Pashtun by Taliban works on limiting the number of girls learning and preventing their access to education. Indeed, when girls get educated they will start to loss their fear and will learn about freedom and democracy more and this will make them ask for equal rights and opportunities similar to men. In addition, the learned women will start questioning the Taliban authority and will gain more power. 13. In the book the thistle and the Drone, the author Ahmed Akbar, also a professor in American University, and teaches the class the World of Islam, wrote a lot about the Pashtun code and Taliban. The reason why I am mentioning his book is that professor Ahmed provided an example about the USA foreign policy and action when catching Osama bin Laden. He had cost the U.S.A a lot of money and time as they attempted to capture him. Nonetheless, when they caught him, they attacked him using military force and killed him. In addition, Professor Ahmed compared the way the USA acted in the case of Osama bin Laden, and how they acted while trying to deliver a man for justice, who was famous for kidnapping and killing, and lived in the same area, where bin laden was hiding. Indeed, this area is called Waziristan, and is one of the dangerous areas in Pakistan, as it is overshadowed by the tribalism. Moreover, Professor Ahmed worked with the people of Waziristan to surrender the man he wanted, who was under their hospitality, similar to Osama Bin laden. In any tribe, if someone has a criminal record and did not admit that he committed any mistake, the tribe will never deliver him because, as long as this person is under their hospitality then he is also under their protection. Professor Ahmed respected the Waziristan laws of hospitality and negotiated them without using force. He also visited their ancestor temples and did other things as well to gain their trust and respect and at the end, they delivered the man that was wanted to justice. The main point Professor Ahmed is trying to make when comparing his personal experience and the USA experience is that the USA could get Osama Bin Laden easily and without killing him if they were able to understand how do the tribal system works, which can be similar to solving issues in education. Read More