Sally Field's Crazy Concept...

I heard some recent comments from Sally Field at an awards ceremony. She wanted to make the point that a woman should be running the country because women were more caring and therefore there would be less wars.



Lets consider that. Does history support that theory? Lets take a look at women leaders throughout time and see what we get...

1. Margaret Thatcher - Prime minister of United Kingdom from 1979 - 1990. In April of 1982, Ms Thatcher sent a naval force to recapture the islands which had been invaded by Argentina. The operation was a success and was supported overwhelmingly by her country.


2. Benazir Bhutto - 12th & 16th Prime Minister of Pakistan. It was during Bhutto's rule that the Taliban (which she supported) came into power in Afghanistan. She was instrumental in escalating the Pakistani proxy war in Kashmir. She was subsequently run out of office on charges of corruption.


3. Golda Meir - 4th Prime Minister of Israel. Meir presided over the 1963 Yom Kippor war. She was not opposed to using pre-emptive strikes to defend Israel.


4. Indira Gandhi - 4th & 7th Prime Minister of India. Indira accelerated India's nuclear weapons program and in fact India became a nuclear country under her rule.


5. Empress Dowager Cixi - Tongzhi Emperor 1861 - 1908. She was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, ruling over China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908. Came to power in a coup. Her army defeated the Taiping Army in a hard-fought battle at Tianjing (present-day Nanjing) in July 1864. Empress Dowager Cixi's supported a violent Chinese nativist movement leading to the Boxer Rebellion which broke out in northern China in 1900. Eager to preserve traditional Chinese values, Empress Dowager Cixi threw in her lot with the rebels, making an official announcement of her support for the movement.


6. Victoria - Queen of the United Kingdom from 1837 - 1901. Victoria's reign was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire; during this period it reached its zenith, becoming the foremost Global Power of the time.


7. Anne - Queen of England from 1702 - 1714. Almost as soon as she succeeded to the throne, Anne became embroiled in the War of the Spanish Succession. This war, in which England supported the claim of Archduke Charles to succeed to the Spanish Throne, would continue until the last years of Anne's reign, and would dominate both foreign and domestic policy.


8. Catherine II of Russia - During her reign Catherine extended the borders of the Russian Empire southward and westward to absorb New Russia, Crimea, Right-Bank Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Courland at the expense of two powers — the Ottoman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. All told, she added some 200,000 miles to Russian territory.


9. Boudica - queen of the Brythonic Celtic Iceni people of Norfolk in Eastern Britain who led a major uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire.

Whats the point here? There were many female leaders throughout history - some great, some not. Clearly the presence of a female leader does not guarantee peace or a conciliatory government. Not anymore than a male lead government means aggression and war.

See Neville Chamberlain and appeasement of Hitler.

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