The cover story of Time magazine this week pays tribute to the amazing contribution of American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the nascent revolutions of the people, dubbed the Arab Spring.
Clinton does things her way. And the emphasis is on her!
Her strategy centers around what she calls “smart power.” Although her goal is the same as the old militarist warriors - to aid the people in search of their own freedom from dictators and tyrants - it’s just that she does it without the mayhem.
Clinton exploits a variety of means. She facilitated her staff to setting up 192 Twitter feeds and 288 Facebook accounts for mass communication. She also arranged for cash to be channelled to Libyan rebels to reinstate fiber-optic-cables for internet access. And this is just the start of it.
Conventional masculine power involves guns, death, destruction, pain, fear, and lots and lots of ego. It has no concept of connection or oneness, thriving on competition and force. It pits man against man, country against country. Its philosophy is summed up in that bumper sticker of the 90’s: he who has the most (and biggest) toys wins. But if Afghanistan and Iraq have taught us anything, it is that traditional masculine power isn’t going to work for America and take her successfully into the new age that is upon us.
This sort of winning isn’t really ‘winning’ anymore. We have a new definition for the life we want. It is no longer enough just to have physical control of others so we look big, powerful and important.
The old masculine forms of power and control are giving way to the waves of feminine rising, causing a growing desire, and demand, for governance based on collaboration, communication, consensus, and equal participation.
Now we want that control of our own lives and destiny that affords us the peace and freedom to be who we want to be. And we want that for all, not just for ourselves, because we now understand that for one to have lasting peace, all must have peace.
Clinton says: “…we are trying to influence the direction, with full recognition that we don’t have ownership and we don’t have control.”
Who would have thought that we would ever hear those words come out of the mouth of an American leader! But Clinton is one of the rare breed who understands we can’t force peace; we can only foster it. We cannot impose it on another, we can only help them to see the wisdom in choosing peace.
When we all value, and choose, peace, we are all winners.
