Daily Times

It’s a woman’s world. Finally, are we going to qualify this discriminatory statement, partially and politically? Maybe. These are unprecedented times. Times where the world is seeing more being invented, produced and developed than ever. Times where the world is technologically integrated yet culturally segregated. Times where information has disrupted industries, politics and policies. Times where there is maximum evidence against terror and wars yet maximum violence. Times where the two of the most powerful countries are being led, and the third would probably be led by a female leader. These are definitely historic times.

Never before in history three of the most developed nations of the world have been led by women: Germany, the UK, and probably in a few months, the USA. Angela Merkel has made Germany European Union’s most powerful country. Theresa May is on her mission of taking the UK out of the Brexit mess. And Hillary Clinton may assume power in November to head as the superwoman with the challenge of retaining America’s superpower status.

The senior most of this trio is the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She has one of the best credentials in background, experience and performance. Leading Germany in one of the most challenging crises in Europe, and in the most turbulent periods of its union, she has risen in status to an extent where she has not only surpassed her male counterparts in Europe but is also giving a run for the money to Barack Obama on world stage. Her background and education are quite impressive. Being the daughter of a pastor who moved from East Berlin to Hamburg, she grew up witnessing the fall of the Berlin Wall, and became inspired by playing a role in the United Germany. She has a doctorate degree in physics, joined the Christian Democratic Union party, and became the minister of environment. She became her party leader in 2000, and the country leader in 2005.

Merkel has won three reelections, the last one in 2013, and was named Time’s Person of the Year in 2015. She is a workaholic and prefers small cabinets. The 2006 onwards recession that exposed financial troubles of European countries have set Germany apart. Germany has prospered due to its exports and better fiscal management while countries like Italy, Spain and Greece have nosedived into bailouts. Being the paymaster in these bailouts, Merkel has insisted on austerity plans and conditions for these countries, the move that has earned her the title of “Hitler” in these countries. Despite this title she has shown remarkable compassion on allowing refugees especially Syrian refugees in Europe, and despite serial terror attacks in France and Germany has resisted the temptation to clamp down on this policy. Similarly, while the rest of the European nations are fuming at the British for rejecting the EU, and some heads of state made hard statements, it is Merkel’s remarkable calm and composure that has helped Brexit furore subside, and business to return to manageable normality in a short period of time.

Theresa May might have benefited from vagaries of politics, but she is a leader in her own right. It was David Cameron’s decision to resign and make space for another party leader that gave her the responsibility to take Britain through a very difficult period of post-Brexit tremors. She has a rich experience of three decades in politics, which she started in 1986 as a councillor, and has worked her way up from a shadow minister to a home minister and now to prime minister. Like Merkel, her father was also a reverend, but she chose geography as a subject to graduate from Oxford. She has a great passion for fashion, cooking and cricket. It may be too early for her to be regarded as a success, but her policy stances have given Britain and Europe a sense of reassurance. She dismissed all ideas of another referendum, and has quietly moved forward to make the two-year plan on the gradual delinking of Britain from Europe with minimum damage to the country and the EU.

Hillary Clinton has been nominated as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, and would probably win the elections to become the first woman president of the USA. Perhaps a very few residents in the history of America can match her qualifications and experience. Her privileged education includes degrees from Wellesly College and Yale Law School. Inspired by Martin Luther King’s speech in her early days she started as a supporter of the Republican Party, and ended up as a staunch Democrat. She was instrumental in making her husband Bill Clinton win the 1992 election, and as a first lady she was regarded as much more than a doting wife. Clinton has weathered many storms, including the Monica Lewinsky scandal, a contest for presidential nomination with Barack Obama, and a controversial performance as the secretary of state. Presently, her chances of winning are more attributable to an anti-Trump vote than a pro-Clinton vote. Almost 60 percent Americans think that she is not trustworthy due to her wavering stances in the past, and the scandal of using her personal email for official use. So despite not possessing the brand acceptance what makes her ready for this office? Yes, it is the fact that Trump is a bigger risk than her. Yes, she will be the first female to occupy the presidential office. But most importantly, yes, she has persisted, doggedly, stubbornly and single mindedly to reach the position that she has been working on for 40 long years.

Surprisingly, Asia and especially South Asia has seen women leaders much before America and the west: Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, Indira Gandhi in India, Haseena Wajid and Khalida Zia in Bangladesh, and Sirimavo R D Bandaranaike in Sri Lanka. It is great to see women as leaders being accepted all around the world, but at the end of the day, gender does not determine success. What matters is the ability of these leaders to prove themselves strong enough to cope with this world beset with a very volatile political economy. Most of their male predecessors have fallen short of expectations. It is time for the female leaders to teach a lesson or two to their male counterparts.

The writer is a columnist and an analyst, and she can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com