Foe of 'Radical Feminism' to Train Iraqi Women

[MsMagnificent]

http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=25735


Jim Lobe


WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (IPS) - A U.S. group opposed to government-provided childcare, equal pay for equal work and quotas for women in government service will train Iraqi women in political participation and democracy prior to the 2005 elections in that country.

The anti-feminist, Washington-based Independent Women's Forum (IWF) is one of a number of organisations chosen by the State Department to carry out its 10-million-dollar Iraqi Women's Democracy Initiative.

But unlike the other groups, which include the Meridian International Centre, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), IWF has no experience in international exchange and democracy-promotion activities.

The organisation was founded in 1991 by a number of prominent right-wing Republican women to act as a counterpoint to what they called the "radical feminism" of the National Organisation for Women (NOW), a grassroots group with about 500,000 subscribing members nationwide.

Among the IWF's founders were Lynne Cheney, the spouse of Vice President Dick Cheney and former chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities; Labour Secretary Elaine Chao; and Kate O'Beirne, Washington editor of the right-wing 'National Review' and a former senior vice president at the Heritage Foundation.

Another founder was Midge Decter, the former co-chair -- with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld -- of the Committee for the Free World and one of the founders of neo-conservatism along with her spouse, former 'Commentary' editor Norman Podhoretz.

Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, who announced the grant at a press briefing last week, has also served on IWF's board of advisers.

"Talk about an inside deal -- the IWF represents a small group of right wing, wheeler-dealers inside the (Washington) beltway," according to Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation.


***clip

[legally blonde]

1. I don't think

that Iraqi women need any pointers on how to be subservient to their husbands. They've been doing that for generations. :argh:

[fudge stripe cookays]

2. FYI--

Paula Dobriansky was also listed on the original PNAC manifesto sent to Clinton.

Oi.
FSC

[Tempest]

3. Barefoot and pregnant

This should come as no surprise to anyone.

[gatlingforme]

15. You said it. The Bush administration loves the word subservant.

[slappypan]

4. send all those IWF broads to the Middle East

Let them go live in exactly the type of anti-feminist paradise they advocate forthe rest of us.

[pfitz59]

5. $10 million...What's Lynne Cheney's cut?

Bunch of war-profiteering harpies.....

[teryang]

6. Perpetual motion graft and corruption

It's a never ending saga.

[catzies]

7. This is an absolute friggin outrage.

:mad:

[Eye and Monkey]

8. 9.9 million $$ in administrative overhead; Two"training" conferences -

One training conference in Baghdad cancelled due to security concerns; the other training conference moved to Doha, maybe Nairobi. Participation in the conference limited to wives & daughters of the puppet Iraqi Governing Council.

Just my off-the-cuff prediction.

on edit: oh yes, those give-away tote bags, printed with the conference name, etc? They will be very nice.

[jdj]

9. gotta love those Chri$tian$.

They can smell money a mile away.

edit: oh, and exactly what the hell are they "training" these women to do. None of them are qualified for anthing except having married some sociopathic warmonger.

[sr_pacifica]

11. Not fair! Lynne Cheney is REALLY good at censoring the arts n/t

[sr_pacifica]

10. This is bad news n/t

[ChrisK]

12. They couldn't find a group that was more nonpartisan then this one?

I find it odd...well, sort of odd, that this administration STILL doesn't get it when it comes to the Middle East and the lifestyle or cultures of the people living there and their fears of what will happen with this occupation....besides all the killing.

One of the problems that some in a place like Iraq will have with a group such as this is how they will effect there culture and if the groups make-up is any indication so far they have reason to worry when it comes to there religions main stay which is Islam. The group seems to be made up of far right-wing persons and you can't tell me they wouldn't try, in some way, to "convert" a few of these women to christany...in the eyes of radial christan's they feel its there job and to do such a thing in a place that is a hot bed right now of violence and anti-Americanism is very unwise because you are putting not just the trainers at risk but also the women there being helped..its just all-around bad in my opinion.

If there was a more moderate-thinking, less "religious" group helping these women to readjust to a more "free" life I could see the benefit but as it stands with the Independent Women's Forum I hate to say it they are asking for trouble.

it's weird....we want to help these women adjust to there lives in this country and we still , here in American, are having trouble making sure the women of our OWN country have the exact same rights as men...left fix our mistakes before we start telling others how to fix theres...just my opinion mind you

[realFedUp]

13. More at www.feministing.com - see links to Scaife and Cheney

Take a look at this site and the comments following
it...

http://feministing.com/archives/000497.html

The Feminist Majority Foundation reported today that the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) was "one of the recipients awarded part of a $10 million grant to train Iraqi women in the skills of democratic public life." According to IWF's site, they "will...implement a 12-month Women Leaders Program and Democracy Network Information and Coordination Center....The Center will be a key source of information and educational materials on democracy, campaigning, and governance for a variety of Iraqi democracy and women's rights advocacy organizations."

YIKES! If you aren't familiar with IWF, they're one of the most infuriating and scary groups out there. Check out the following statement from their website:

IWF provides a voice for...mainstream women. We...ounter the dangerous influence of radical feminism in the courts; ombat corrosive feminist ideology on campus; hange the terms of the debate on quality of life issues affecting American women... hallenge conventional feminist myths with accurate information and lively debate;

rovide a forum for women who are not represented by radical feminist groups.

Whaaaaaa?! Do these women realize where they'd be without the feminist movement?

My own anger aside, this is really significant. Think how awful it is that these women will be shaping a budding women's network.

Though there's not much we can do now, write Colin Powell to express your disgust:

United States Department of State
Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs
Washington, D.C. 20520-7250

Also, check out Echidne's great post on the same subject...

comment:

IWF is part of the Scaife hegemony, just like International Scholars Institute and Clare Booth Luce Foundation and Institute For Justice and Heritage Foundation. ISI does this on a general scale - they cosponsor all those conservative campus journals that tell students they're being oppressed by being exposed to other cultures and beliefs - and most of these things can trace their genesis to Bill Buckley.

Thanks to you both for bringing this to my attention, as this will go into the next series on crony capitalism and the wrecking of Iraq, following up on "If you're a kid of someone at AEI or worked at the Heritage foundation, you've got a job at the CPA - oh, Ms. Ledeen, I see you're overqualified!"

comment:

Suprise, suprise. Lynne Cheney is on their board. Do the kickbacks ever stop? Any group that works to stop "corrosive feminist ideology" on college campuses is not a group that cares about women.

[Deja Q]

14. I wonder how much the government is paying them

Hypocrites.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

16. This is simply a way to use the war to enrich right wing ideologues

The Democrats need to make a HUGE issue of this

[Viking12]

17. Send Lynne Cheney to Iraq

Seems fair. She's a member of this group and one of the wasr biggest cheerleaders. the least she should do is go there and help out.

[realFedUp]

18. I'm sure Rove's thinking that's a good idea...

of course it does put her secret service at risk...

[Demeter]

19. Train Them for WHAT?

Seems to me that sending anti-feminists to Iraq or any Muslim dominated country is like sending coal to Appalachia. Why bother?

Perhaps they are training them to be overseas phone solicitors for the GOP?