Security - What's New - Archive

WomenMatter will continuously post updates on all this and other issues as we monitor the continuing philosophical and practical debates nationwide. Please check back often for updates. Past updates are available for reference on the Security Archives page.

Women and the War Word: Fear, Facts, and Action

What is our personal role in the big challenges our country faces? What do we do about issues like terrorism that threaten not only our quality of life but life itself? As citizens in a democracy, we’re asked to follow our leaders and pay the bills for as long as a problem lasts. But do we dare trust our own judgment? How do we react when there is a war to be fought and we’re asked to follow our leaders?

The update below is based on the WomenMatter radio show Women and the War Word: Fear, Facts, and Action. All interviews were conducted by WomenMatter Editor in Chief and CEO, Dr. Nancy Bauer.

Turning inward

War is a fearful word and we women are seldom among those who make the critical decisions. But it’s not just that there aren’t enough women in the situation room, why aren’t more women writing their representatives about the situation? Why do women hold back?

For many of us, political rhetoric stirs up unconscious thoughts, worries, and fantasies, says Dr. Michelle Berlinerblau, a psychiatrist who specializes in fear. "Most of us are still seeking the good, powerful, protective maternal or paternal figure," Dr. Berlinerblau says, "If we are repeatedly disappointed we sink into various degrees of hopelessness, helplessness, boredom, disinterest, and this may limit our responsiveness to the political situation."

To counteract this, Dr. Berlinerblau recommends that we pay attention to our emotional reactions to rhetoric. Are we responding only to the situation at hand? Or, are there some deep-seeded needs and fears that are affecting our responsiveness?

War and the Constitution

What does the Constitution really say about who can take us to war and what we can do about it?

Professor Geoffrey R. Stone, Harry Kalven, Jr. Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, says that "nothing in the Constitution says that either the Congress or the president has extraordinary powers during wartime that are to trump ordinary civil liberties."

"On the other hand," Stone says, "the Framers of the Constitution were very thoughtful about the structure of government and they were obviously aware that wartime is different from peacetime and that there is a necessity to focus the energies of the nation when dealing with a foreign threat." He continues, "the Framers clearly did intend the president to be commander-in-chief of the army and navy, but what they meant by that was not that he would be commander-in-chief of the nation," he says. "Rather [the Framers] were very skeptical about executive power and very nervous about the authority of the president in wartime," Stone explains, "so they clearly divided and separated the powers between the Congress and the president."

This means that a president can not declare war by himself or herself. She or he must get backing from Congress, who also controls war funds or, has the power of the purse. Therefore, if Congress opposes a war that is already set in motion, they have the ability to stop it by breaking off the funding.

Declaring war

How does the "war" on terror compare with the "war" on drugs and the "war" on nuclear proliferation?

Dr. Rensselaer Lee, Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, explains that these international initiatives are not always supported by the international community. Our interests don’t always coincide with the interests of the countries that the initiatives target, and other nations don’t always see the issues the way that we do.

To reverse policies that aren’t working, Dr. Lee encourages women to complain to their representatives.

Waging Peace

How do we get more women into the process before war happens?

Women are often intimidated by the idea of changing public policy, explains Ambassador Swanee Hunt, former American Ambassador to Austria, Director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard University, and founder of the Initiative for Inclusive Security.

"Women are oriented towards relationships," Hunt says, "that includes their families and their friendships and their communities. You can bring them in to shaping policy through relationships." Hunt continues, "You’ve got to help them see themselves as part of a mass."

Getting women active in anti-war campaigns is very empowering, Hunt says. It’s not just the policy that’s affected; it is the women too, she explains.

Further, Hunt says that women thrive on working collectively. Women can prevent war even though war forces are enormous.

WomenMatter exists to make sure we have the facts and understand the trade-offs before the legislature votes the money to take us to war. Putting pressure on our legislators is the Constitutional way to agree with, prevent, or stop war. To contact your representatives, click here.

What do you think?

How does the word "war" affect you emotionally? How do you feel when our leaders talk about terrorism and security? How can we learn to curb our emotions and make decisions based on the facts and the trade-offs of each situation?

Your input matters

Your representatives in Congress DO care what you think. Especially now -- 2006 is an election year and many representatives will be looking to reconnect with their constituents. Let your congressmen and women know what you think! Give your senators a piece of your mind! To find your reps, click here.

About WomenMatter

WomenMatter is a place to discuss life issues with other women. We don’t want to wedge women apart, but rather bring them together to dialogue. To participate in our blog, click here.

WomenMatter is the place where we can take one issue at a time, match what we do about it every day of our lives to the facts of the bigger system that we all live in and recognize that every idea for making it better has tradeoffs.

WomenMatter is dedicated to empowering women to participate in the political process. To do this we have invested in the most in-depth NONPARTISAN information, because we trust each woman to make up her own mind.

• We track nine issues every week and update this website several times a week.
• We launch after school GirlsMatter Clubs in middle and high schools to grow the next generation of politically aware women through a full curriculum and startup kit on girlsmatter.com.
• We do continuous research to make sure that we are meeting the needs of women across the country of all ages, races, incomes, preferences, and religions.

We offer all our services free of charge without memberships or subscriptions. To help us maintain this work - not just in election years but as a continuing part of women’s lives - please make a tax deductible donation, click here.

Update Posted on: 3/25/2006