Decades after May 24th was designated as the International Day for Peace and Disarmament for Women, the world continues to witness the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ongoing atrocities against women and children, often overshadowed by the dominance of the U.S. and the Zionist regime.
✍| By Ms. Maryam Ordooee
For decades, May 24th has been recognized as the International Day for Women’s Peace and Disarmament. Yet, we continue to witness the production and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the massacre of innocent women and children, and an alarming increase in military violence by domineering nations like the United States and Israel. This occurs despite numerous international organizations and movements, led by women, actively working towards disarmament, combating warmongering, and promoting justice. UN Women, for instance, focuses specifically on Security Council Resolution 1325 concerning “Women, Peace, and Security.” The failure to achieve desirable outcomes from these efforts stems from the prevailing mindset within these peace-seeking initiatives.
The Flawed Premise of Peace Feminism
The majority of women’s peace efforts globally operate under the umbrella of peace feminism, to the extent that the United Nations largely structures women’s peace initiatives based on this ideology. This feminist branch, a blend of feminist ideals and general social issues, posits that women, due to their biological and emotional characteristics, can prevent wars. The flip side of this argument harks back to the old adage, “men are warmongers.” Peace feminism, building on this premise, strives to open doors for women in foreign policy positions.
When Women in Power Don’t Bring Peace
However, we observe that even when women ascend to political power, the situation often remains unchanged. The tenures of figures like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Zionist Prime Minister Golda Meir have not only failed to reduce the violence inherent in international politics but have often fueled further warmongering, particularly in West Asia. Furthermore, despite the widespread slaughter of women in Palestine and other regional countries, we never see a wave of protest from feminists against the warmongering policies of colonial powers.
The UN’s Complicity
These massacres, incidentally, unfold under the silence of the United Nations. This organization, founded by the victors of World War II and with a charter written by them, was ostensibly established to be a guardian of global peace. Instead, it has transformed into an international body that, through its oppressive veto power, grants a greater license for bloodshed to those in power and, with its resolutions, legitimizes the existence of a festering lesion like Israel in the region. In essence, the mission of peace feminists and, more broadly, international peace organizations and institutions, aligns with the policies of the United States and Zionism. Their purpose is to promote a discourse of subservience, cloaked in peace-seeking rhetoric, for nations under colonial rule and independent nations like Iran, urging them to abandon the very weapons that serve as their defense against the warmongering policies of the United States and other international power-holders.