Week 13 Cynthia Enloe & Paul Amar

     The reading “Where are the Women in Occupied Afghanistan and Iran” by Cynthia Enloe raises the question in regards to the involvement that women from Afghanistan and Iran have when it comes to political affairs. Moreover, there have been more international alliances over the years which also raised the question of how unequal international power relations (alliances) between the allied masculinized governments depend not only in relationships between men and women, but also in the concept of where women should stand. From the alliances there was a continuous involvement of military and political awareness of the lost of rights that has been taken away from women then and now. This chapter of the book also makes note of the means that women have to go through to explore the different alternatives that they have to stand up and have their voice heard through these new international alliances. Some the practice that have help women raise awareness and raise their voice is academics. 

     The reading also compared and contrast the difference in alliance between the U.S-Japanese military alliance to the alliance between the US and Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition, it also explores the steps that a Japanese woman takes to raise her voice to raise the question of where women stand. However, in respect to the difference in political power for women between Afghanistan and Iraq when compared to let’s say the Japanese has been noted to be rooted in the culture and social statues that has been persistent for a long time. It can be seen that the main reason for inequality between men and women when it comes to political and military affairs come from the social statues as well as culture and how these two have been present or a long time.