threat of force and war to satisfy national interests, policy-makers would pursue more peaceful means of achieving the same goals. To do this, they contend that we must first deconstruct political and social hierarchies. The next step would be to engage in such activities as mediation, a process completely divergent from the notion of war. Mediation requires characteristics that have become more congruent with traditional notions of feminity, such as trust building and attempting to understand others views through empathy. In an unusual cross-cultural study, Geert Hofstede used gender as one of the categories of his analysis examining the role of values in state decision-making and development strategies. "In all the societies examined in the study, women were perceived as caring for people and the quality of life. In societies that Hofstede labeled masculine, men tended to see their roles as maximally different from those of women. In societies labeled as feminine, considerable overlap in gender roles was evident; men were less assertive and more oriented toward caring" (Tickner, 140). He noted that the Scandinavian countries, overwhelmingly, asserted more of these 'feminine' characteristics. History shows us that some of these countries (Sweden, etc.) have developed a more non-violent, non-confrontational policy toward the rest of the world than other nations have. I submit to you that, if Hofstede's findings are true, and I do believe that they are, this could be a great boost to the credibility of feminist theory and moreover that feminist perspectives could provide valuable insights into ways to improve our world and promote a more peaceful existence. According to Scott Burchill, theorizing "is the process by which we give meaning to an allegedly objectified world 'out there'" (True, 225). If this is true, how can we possibly hope to assemble a workable theory that is both relevant and objective without taking into con...
