March 8th

Could women break down the barriers between nations? With another bid from North Korea to end peace pacts with the South, and talks between Russia and Syria crumbling, we question how our leaders are approaching the problems. 

www.bbc.co.uk

North Korea says it is scrapping all non-aggression pacts with South Korea, closing its hotline with Seoul and shutting their shared border point. South Korea's President Park Geun-hye said the current security situation was very grave but that she would deal strongly with provocation from the North.

Russia has traditionally been a close ally of the Syrian government and is the country's biggest arms supplier. Both countries say the Syrian crisis will top the agenda on their visit to London next week for peace talks.

atschool.eduweb.co.uk

The world needs peace. Perhaps women could lead toward this goal in a different way than men. See link to BBCNews here. In the western world, attitudes to women leaders have changed fast in recent decades. A growing body of research has made it clear that empowering women makes things better—profitable business, more representative governments, stronger families, and healthier communities. There is less violence and more peace, stability and sustainability. 

Women experience life in a different way to men, which gives another perspective on the way they see problems and how to fix them. Women communicate, listen, encourage dialogue, and build harmony. They work toward making the world safer for their children and grandchildren.

Women are also essential to building and sustaining peace. Today, nearly half of peace agreements fail within five years in no small measure because half the stakeholders are excluded. When women participate, they help bridge the gap between different groups and ensure that a broader range of issues, from food security to sexual violence, are addressed. As a result, peace is more likely to take root. 

www.bbc.co.uk

Classical history from Britain: When her husband died, Boudicca became queen of the Iceni in Britain. She tried peace talks, which failed. In frenzied response to their treatment of her and the rape of her daughters, she led her tribe in revolt against the Romans for several months during A.D. 60-61.  Her followers burned three major Roman towns, Londinium (London), Verulamium (St. Albans), and Camulodunum (Colchester). Boudicca fought with the Iceni in her final battle against the Roman governor's troops close to where I live on the Old Roman Road leading to St. Albans.

"Women can break down barriers to opportunity, and men, many of them reluctantly, have learned to relate to women as their equals in thought and action. But except for an eccentric few, women do not want to become warriors." Suzanne Fields.