Atatürk's coup d'oeil

Today I am going to meet Austin Bay, author of 'Atatürk: Lessons in Leadership from the Greatest General of the Ottoman Empire'. A very readable book that surveys Atatürk’s military career. Austin Bay lives here in Austin. He is a syndicated columnist, professor, developmental aid advocate, radio commentator, retired reserve soldier...and a war game designer (he consulted in wargaming at the Pentagon). He holds the rank of Colonel, in the U.S. Army Reserve.

As a Kemalist myself, and following the recent developments in Turkey intensively, I am very curious what drove a retired US Colonel to write this book. Bay acknowledges Atatürk being a military genius. Atatürk's achievements have always been acknowledged. In 1997, Time Magazine called Atatürk Person of the Century and McLaughlin Group declared in 2000 that the award for "the Person of the Full Millenium goes to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk". I have read many books and articles saying Atatürk being a genius, both as a military leader but also as a statesman. But in Austin Bay's book I found what exactly is meant by genius, explained by Prussian general and strategic theorist Carl von Clausewitz.

By "genius" Clausewitz meant "a very highly developed mental aptitude for a particular occupation". Surveying "those gifts of mind and temperament that in combination bear on military activity," he emphasized that courage "in the face of personal danger, and courage to accept responsibility" are required. "The highest kind of courage is a compound" of "indifference to danger" and positive motives as ambition, patriotism, and enthusiasm." Clausewitz believed that war requires intellect of a special type, for "during an operation decisions have usually to be made of a special type, for "during an operation decisions have usually to be made at once; there may be no time to review a situation or even to think it through." For the combat leader, "if the mind is to emerge unscathed from this relentless struggle with the unforeseen, two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect, that even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead.

The first of these qualities is described by the French term, coup d'oeil; the second is determination." Clausewitz's coup d'oeil referred to both the "physical" and "inward eye," but, "stripped of metaphor,...the concept merely refers to the quick recognition of a truth that the mind would ordinarily miss or would perceive only after long study and reflection."

In Clausewitz's other words: it really is the commander's coup d'œil, his ability to see simply, and at a glance, the possibilities offered by the terrain.

A woman full of principles

I have a new hero! Tehmina Durrani.
The woman who took care of Fakhra Yunas, the Pakistani victim of an acid attack. Fakhra committed suicide a couple days ago. But Durrani arranged to take her abroad, capturing media attention for acid attacks in Pakistan.
Her own life story is amazing too. She grew up in a wealthy family, but after being used in her own marriage, she wrote about it, and questioned women's issues in Pakistan. Not by publishing her own book, but by funding an NGO for protection and care for other women in Pakistan. She distanced herself from everything to get rid of the manipulative patriarchal society, even signing for distance from her kids, to be able to do her work...

A woman full of principles...

Normally I don't post pictures on my blog but look at this beautiful picture of two women, how they support each other, probably knowing that it could have been either of them. It can happen to any of us. Maybe not the acid attacks, but all sorts of violence against women. It makes me hate societies in which these things happen. And I just can't understand how people, men or women, can sleep while this is happening.
Here is the link to Tehmina's full biography, I insist you read it.

Fighting basic women's health issues in 2012? Seriously?

What the heck is happening with this country?! Who knew that in 2012 in the USA politicians would be fighting about contraception and basic women's health?

Tomorrow I am attending a great idea from my friend Sarah Bird and Marcia Ball.

"COME and SEE RED"

It started last week, but tomorrow and following Tuesday, between noon and 2:00 PM, everybody is putting on a red shirt and stand in front of the Texas State Capitol at the corner of Congress Avenue and 11th Street holding a sign decrying the defunding of women’s health services.

The calling is named SEEING RED and it may be just a few women with a few friends or a few hundred.

No keynote speakers. No podium. No PA. Just red shirts and signs. Spread the word.

By the way, this is not a “women’s movement”, so come on, come all!

Raped in time of war

As an alumni of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP)
I was invited to a reception hosted by Global Austin for the IVLP's from Libya.

At this citizen diplomacy reception I met six distinguished visitors from Libya. These emerging leaders were selected by the U.S. State Department to visit communities in the U.S. for professional appointments and community hospitality. They are members of Libya’s National Development Board (EDB), assigned the task of creating a system to address the needs of veterans. The focus of their program is on the roles and responsibilities of governments, the private sector, and local communities that provide benefits and services to war victims and veterans.

Although almost all the six leaders (average age I guess not older than 30) could speak very well English, I was glad that they were hosted by professional interpreters. With such a heavy issue (victims of war) on the agenda, you better really understand what people are talking about and more important: what they need. As we all know, Libya just got rid of their dictator Khadaffi who ruled coldbloodedly over the country for 40 years. When I speak with these Libyan representatives, one thing is really obvious to me: they are young, ambitious but also 'seeking' their way how to develop their country.

The projectmanager of the Economic Development Board that I spoke a long time with, told me that more than 50,000 people got killed. Maybe that doesn't sound much (I mean in wartime), but Libya only counts a population of 6 million, so then it's a lot. What struck me most of his story was that next to the killings, more than 8,000 women were raped. For Libyans and most Arabs (but I think for many people around the world), this has had more impact than the killings. Khadaffi knew that Libyans could accept it easier to have their sons killed than their daughters raped. He used this psychological terror, and up until now, more than 8,000 women stay at homes, isolated, far from the society, and with no help. They are scarved for the rest of their lives.

When asked the delegation what they needed most, their answer was: support. Whether it's moral, mental, professional or financial, they said it's good to know that we don't have to do this alone. I was asked personally to keep on writing on Libya and the developments concerning the Arab revolution.

Well, that's the least I can do. In the meantime it is my intention to find out whether there is some kind of program being developed to help the 8,000 raped women. I will contact the Art of Living Foundation (a humanitarian NGO engaged in stressmanagement and service initiative) to ask whether they have already started a program in Libya.

Maybe you think: it all happens somewhere far, somewhere you don't know anything about, except for the images that you've seen on tv and read in newspapers). But I will never forget what my mother once said while we were watching disasters on the news: 'It's happening to them, but it could've been us.' When I look at it that way, I feel more connected to my Libyan sisters than ever.