A New
Axis of Power: Women at the Top
an
article
by
Tony
Ogunlowo
In less than a months’ time
the Americans will be heading to the polls to elect a new President. And unless
Republican contender, Donald Trump, can pull a last minute trick out of his hat
or resort to more dirty tricks, the front runner, Hilary Clinton, is most
definitely going to be the next President of the United States of America.
Not only will she become the
first female leader of the World’s most powerful nation she’ll be joining two
other female leaders – Theresa May of GB and Angela Merkel of Germany - to form a new axis of power. This will mean
that a third of the G8 nation leaders will be women. Already Christine Lagarde
heads up the International Monetary Fund and for a while Diezani Alison-Madueke
was the President of the all-powerful OPEC organisation.
The joke currently
circulating around political circles is that the women are coming in to clear
up the mess made by the men. Perhaps.
We are beginning to see a new
breed of female leaders ready to take on the world in a move never before seen
since the Thatcher era. Traditionally women are better leaders (- sorry guys
but its true!) They are strong, decisive and pull no punches. They are also not
as scandal-prone as men, having little or no skeletons in their cupboards. The
Margaret Thatcher era of 1979 – 1990 turned a bankrupt and floundering Great
Britain into one of the most prosperous and powerful nations that we know
today. During her regime she battled the unions, introduced capitalism across
the board, whilst at the same time showing Britain’s military might in facing
off the Argentines over the Falkland and taking the country into the First Gulf
War. Under her rule Britain was a key player on the international scene earning
her the nickname of the no-nonsense ‘Iron Lady’.
With women at the top of the
three most powerful nations in the world we can expect a lot of change in the
world in the coming years. Even though President Hilary Clinton will initially
have her hands full with domestic issues we can expect changes in areas such as
world trade, migration and terrorism. All three are not novices when it comes
to governing a nation and performing on the international scene: Angela Merkel
has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005, Theresa May is a former Home
Secretary and Hilary Clinton was Secretary of State in President Obama first
cabinet. Collectively, with their joint experience, they can steer the world on
to another course.
As any married man knows
fully well you can’t argue with a woman; they are better at putting an argument
across( and getting their own way!), they are better negotiators, more thick
skinned and are a lot better at dealing with(or ignoring!) criticism levelled
at them. Without a doubt there will be feminists out there who’ll think it’s
time to dust off their placards and take to the streets – they’ll be wrong!
These new leaders are not bra-burning feminists but competent leaders who have
proven themselves in a predominantly male-dominated chauvinistic environment.
They don't have’ to prove themselves any further to make a point or statement.
Women leaders, unlike their
male counterparts, tend to think of the bigger picture and as a result their
policies will be more diversified. They also well known for their ability to
negotiate peace deals – something the world desperately needs right now with
all the trouble hotspots.
Women leaders are not scared
to fight when necessary; Margaret Thatcher fought the Argentines over the Falkland’s
and when PM Theresa May was asked whether she was prepared to authorize a
nuclear strike, if need be, that could potentially kill over a 100,000 men,
women and children with a nuclear bomb she replied with a curt ‘yes’. Women
leaders are prepared to fight just wars if need be- when there is no other
option. They won’t rush off and fight an unjust war like Blair and Bush did.
Having said that one of the areas they are bound to focus on will be the
turbulent Middle East – and they won’t be afraid to use military force if necessary.
Dealing with Russia, China, Iran and North Korea will also be high on the
cards.
There are currently
twenty-two female leaders in the world today running their countries in the
capacity of President, Prime Minister or Monarch ( the Queen of England). With
the exception of ex-President Dilna Rousseff of Brazil who was recently
impeached all the other leaders are running their countries comfortably.
Come next year it would be very easy to see Clinton (if she wins)
sitting down with Merkel and May discussing ways on to how to solve the worlds
growing problems.
No comments:
Post a Comment