Strategizing gender in military practices. (c2017)

Abstract

The terrorist attacks that took place on the 11th of September 2001 rapidly ushered in a Global War on Terror that was announced by President George W. Bush and his administration. This study examines the participation of women in the US Armed Forces within the scope of this war, in order to analyze how Islamic Culture, as a factor specific to Afghanistan and Iraq, contributed to the increased utilization of women within the military. This piece starts with a general overview on the Global War on Terror, and continues to examine the main theories of International Relations and the validations they give for the causes of war. It continues to provide an outline on the status of women within the US Armed Forces. From thereon, the participation of women in the Global War on Terror is studied, along with culturally relevant practices, such as torture and radical interrogation, that were utilized by the US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. The thesis concludes that women were used as part of a new strategy of warfare that includes gender and culture as potent weapons, alongside traditional warfare.