Swanee Hunt chairs the Washington-based Institute for Inclusive Security. During her tenure as U.S. ambassador to Austria (1993–97), she hosted negotiations and symposia focused on securing peace in the neighboring Balkan states. She is the Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, CEO of Hunt Alternatives, and a member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and NPR and written for
Upheavals of war can create disruption that allows a breakthrough for women's leadership. Rwanda's women have been visionary pioneers, creating stability and reconciliation as genocidal chaos cracked open the culture, allowing an unexpected elevation of their leadership. The epilogue draws out lessons for the world from Rwanda's experience after genocide. It reflects on broad social changes and individual successes the author witnessed and recorded over many years of engagement in Rwanda, which overlapped with her work in other conflict areas. Interspersing views of outside policy makers, political icons, and women's activists, it highlights what is unique about this country's women leaders, but also how their masterful strategies can be applied elsewhere in Africa, in other postconflict societies, and in any country that lags on gender parity (such as the United States). Debunking myths about development and security, the epilogue turns the lens on the reader with a call to action.
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