The Hillary Doctrine

Starred review from March 15, 2015
A compelling argument for women's rights. At a TEDWomen conference in 2010, Hillary Clinton, at the time secretary of state, asserted a connection between women's equality and international peace and stability. "Give women equal rights and entire nations are more stable and secure," she said. "Deny women equal rights and the instability of nations is almost certain." Hudson (Bush School of Government and Public Service/Texas A&M Univ.; Foreign Policy Analysis: Classic and Contemporary Theory, 2006, etc.) and Leidl (Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations/Michigan State Univ.) investigate what is known as the Hillary Doctrine, bringing to bear scholarly research, fieldwork, case studies, and interviews. They argue persuasively that in societies that permit and encourage violence against women, men develop "a willingness to harm, kill, and enslave others." When male bonding intensifies as competing groups vie for power, men see women's rights and freedoms as threats to their own legitimacy. The authors look at subjugation of women in Guatemala, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, examples of particularly abusive societies and also of "violent instability." As one Saudi women's rights activist said, her country is "the world's largest prison for women." As much as they endorse the Hillary Doctrine, the authors see problems in instituting change: establishing a legal and regulatory framework, making gender central to federal programs, and "the actual implementation of initiatives in-country." They offer myriad, dismal examples of sexism among contractors and USAID workers; exclusion of women from conferences, planning, and positions of power; and a lack of accountability for programs that are enacted. The authors criticize the Obama administration for its failure to include women in Sudan-South Sudan negotiations and for allowing women to be marginalized during peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Leadership on women's issues, they argue, must come from a deeply committed White House. A sound study that carries an urgent message.

May 15, 2015

In 1996, at the Fourth World Conference on Women, Hillary Clinton identified herself as a champion of women's rights around the globe. Coauthors Hudson (George H.W. Bush Chair, the Bush Sch. of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M Univ.; coauthor, Sex & World Peace) and Leidl (journalism, advertising & public relations, Michigan State Univ.) have here explored what they name the "Hillary Doctrine"--that ensuring equality for women makes nations stable and therefore advances the security of the United States. The doctrine has appeal for both liberals and conservatives, who have used the treatment of women as partial justification for U.S. intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women face horrific violence worldwide, from the murder of infant girls to rape as a tool of war, and "Regime change" brings with it intensified militarism and hypermasculinity, which make the situation of women more precarious. Discussing various case studies, Hudson and Leidl conclude that ameliorating the oppression of women helps to stabilize societies, but in practice these changes are extremely difficult to achieve. Clinton herself as secretary of state (2009-13) had to ignore women's welfare as a cost of realpolitik both at home and abroad. Assessment of the Hillary Doctrine over the long-term will have to wait. VERDICT A solid introduction for the interested layperson.--Cynthia Harrison, George Washington Univ., Washington, DC

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.