Guest Author - Isabelle A. Harman

Women in Politics: The Next World Peacemaker

At the end of 2006 Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, will step down from his internationally esteemed post. Who will succeed him is yet to be determined. There are currently eleven candidates. Among them is the President of Latvia, Dr. Vaira Vike-Freiberga. If selected she will be the first woman to hold a position that has been, to date, relatively ceremonial. With the state of the world today, the need for active, competent, visionary, and diplomatic leadership in the next Secretary General is of utmost importance.

President Vike-Freiberga is very frank about her chances of becoming the next person to hold the position. It is not so much a matter of her abilities or one of her gender. Instead it is the threat of a veto by Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council and the insistence that the next Secretary General should come from an Asian country since it is “their turn”. China, also a permanent member of the Security Council, holds the power of veto as well.

In a Yahoo! News article by Nick Wadhams, an Associated Press writer, she is quoted as saying “women must break into the ‘all-boys club’ that has dominated the selection of the U.N. chief for the last 60 years”. It seems that the advancement of women and recognition of their capabilities world-wide could become a hotly debated issue during this process of choosing Mr. Annan’s successor.

Not only would gender be an issue but the battle between North and South will come to the forefront. Developing countries are making their voices heard at recent U.N. gatherings. Given that Dr. Vike-Freiberga represents one of those developing countries and has, in a short amount of time, turned her country into a viable global contender gives her a perspective and credentials unmatched by many of her peers.

But what would the world look like with a woman at the helm of such a powerful organization? Would she succumb to the mounting pressures imposed by the still male-dominated international community? How would her leadership affect the lives of not just women but humanity as a whole?

Regardless if she is selected, she is now a force to be reckoned with in the international community. Dr. Vike-Freiberga is a bold force who will speak for the betterment of her Latvia and communities worldwide.