Traditional Arab society mandates that women are not to play any role in life outside the home. Women are very limited in their opportunities and women' roles in society are almost akin to that of little children "You can't be seen, and you can't be heard". The stricter the Arab society abides by the Koran, the fewer rights women have outside the home. Women aren't allowed to have any part of their skin exposed so that men can see and must wear veils and coverings over every part of their bodies. This traditional view of women will hamper Albright's ability to act as the messenger of American policy in the region.
Albright is an extremely capable person for the position of Secretary of State, having proved that she can make deals with other countries in the United Nations and she can reach consensus on difficult issues. My worry is that Arab countries will not respect her abilities simply because she is a woman, and this can possibly lead to a deterioration of relations with Arab countries in the region.
However, it is not unprecedented for a woman to have a prominent role in Middle East affairs. Golda Meir became Prime Minister of Israel and successfully led her country during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, (also known as the October War), even though she was persuaded not to launch a preemptive attack against Syria and Egypt similar to the 1967 Six Day War because Israel's stature in the world community would be tarnished by the view that Israel was an aggressor. Meir also secretly met with King Hussein of Jordan and led to a very close relationship between Jordan and Israel that finally culminated in an official peace treaty two years ago.
Hannah Aswari, a member of the Palestinian Authority, is perhaps the most prominent woman in the Palestinian community. She has been the official spokesperson for the Authority and has given the Authority a sense of legitimacy through her calm and moderate position. Although it is extremely unlikely, she would make an excellent candidate to succeed Yasir Arafat as head of the Palestinian Authority because of her growing stature in the world community.
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