The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

so that in times of crisis, people gathered around such firm identities
and values as a nation and the family. Only once the crisis ends can new
creations and values be installed.” (Report, p. 69, Schedlich).
But we have also had to examine more closely from the point of view
of geostrategic power relationships, and to call into question the theory
often voiced in feminist positions that the more patriarchal a society is,
the more it tends toward violence. We can certainly be stated that west -
ern societies have endeavoured to move toward societal equality of
women, and no one would certainly claim that the USA is an extremely
patriarchal society. At the same time however, the US – and its allies –
pursue geostrategic imperial interests, and wage wars wherever they
consider it advantageous to do so. We must also state that the internal
condition of a society – whether more or less patriarchal – only to a limit -
ed degree reflects the power interests being realized through war and
violence. Formulated drastically, it could be said that imperial interests
overlay domestic civil society and gender oriented democratic participation
processes, and shape them to conformity with power interests. This
occurred in particular in the beginning of the Afghanistan War, which
was partially legitimated by the argument that the goal was the liberation
of Afghan women from the extreme rule of the Taliban.
In the following, we have compiled the official statements from the
country reports in the three key dimensions of the project, which are:
the development of conflicts/wars
civilian resistance work
the work of peace-building
The Case of Yugoslavia
I am convinced that this war need not have been; that wars need
not be at all. There were alternatives, as there are in every conflict,
even though much of history remains alive in the present. People
are different, always. – But is that a reason to wage wars?
(Bosiljka Schedlich, Report, p. 69).
In her report, Bosiljka Schedlich provides deep Insight into the fissured
history of the Balkans. The following compilation contains some of the
key elements of the report.
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