Thatcher’s International Legacy: Why We’re Still Talking About Her

As news breaks that the former British Primer Minister, Margaret Thatcher, has died attention again reverts to her tenure as the leader of the United Kingdom. While many dissect her impact on British politics, around the world her headline grabbing stances on international issues have ensured that she will not be easily forgotten.

But before addressing the international focus must start on the national. She broke the mould when she was elected, becoming the very first female Prime Minister. With the Queen as Head of State, Thatcher’s election ensured that the 1980’s was a decade for women in British politics and she famously stated: “In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.”

With this barrier broken she went on to the world stage with a desire to change the country, saying exactly what she thought was needed to be done and standing up to any other politician. Her legacy in the international arena is great and her policies on the world stage have continued to resonate to this day. Here I look at some of the defining legacies that Mrs Thatcher will be remembered for:

Europe

Undoubtedly one of the most controversial aspects of her leadership, Thatcher’s stance on Europe proved to be a defining factor of her government. Despite Britain having joined the EEC (forerunner to the EU) in 1973 and undergoing a referendum in 1975 to confirm this mover, Thatcher was wary of becoming too involved in European politics. She opposed the super-state, federal concept that many European politicians were pushing for and saw interference from Brussels, in the financial development of the British economy, in a negative light.

Although this stance lacked support from many in the British government, including members of her own cabinet, she established a British-European relationship that has been carried through to the present day. The increasingly popularity of UKIP, David Cameron’s continued struggle against other European leaders and a British referendum on its European status, should all be seen as legacies of the Thatcher years.

She established, from the very start of Britain’s interactions with European collective politics, that Britain would not roll over and accept the mandates from Brussels. Instead she ensured that Britain should protect its own interests. At times this means working with Europe and at others it means Britain must be prepared to chart its own course.

Argentina

For British people the Falkland War was one of the highlights of Thatcher’s leadership. She took a political gamble by sending troops to these islands, but by doing so she established a political rhetoric that said; around the world Britain will protect its territory and its people to the last.

She understood what sort of cost such a military expedition would incur and, as newly released documents have shown, she felt the pain of such loses very acutely. The conflict showed her to be a strong war leader and supporters have used terms such as the ‘Falklands Spirit’, evoking memories of the famous ‘Dunkirk Spirit’ that Churchill talked about. Just as she was building on the legacy of the British of World War II, politicians today have taken her unwavering stance on the Falklands to inform their own policies.

Yet again David Cameron has taken his cue from Thatcher and has maintained that whilst the people of the islands consider themselves British, Britain will defend their right to these islands. Both in Thatcher’s 80’s and today’s Britain there remains great pride in the nation. People are sensitive to those who would attack us from the outside and this has led to a strong maintenance of British culture, British political integrity and the British nation state.

USA and the Cold War

Margaret Thatcher was always considered a close friend to the Americans and Ronald Reagan was frequently described as her political soul mate. Together the two leaders helped to define the global politics of the 1980’s and its was their unity that brought the Cold War to a close. She, arguably more so than American leaders, saw the future for Russia and believed that Gorbachev could really achieve great things in the country. Through a state visit in 1984 and continued rhetoric, she sought to resolve the Cold War and move Europe forward to the next stage of political development.

The relationship she established with American leaders resonated with subsequent Prime Ministers and re-established Britain’s position alongside America. Following the war Britain had been forced to stand aside and allow the USA to achieve universal hegemony, but with Thatcher’s tenure as leader came a re-evaluation of Britain’s position; one that saw the two nations once more on a near equal footing.

Tony Blair was very much the heir to Thatcher’s cross-Atlantic relationship, establishing firm links first with President Clinton and then famously with President Bush. Here the ‘Special Relationship’ took on greater meaning and the two nations were entwined through their foreign policy. Likewise David Cameron had established a firm bond between himself and President Obama and has been determined to maintain the relationship that Thatcher had greatly developed in the 1980’s.

And all the Rest…

Although these three arenas really defined her leadership, others generated equal discussion with some supporting her aims, whilst many criticised her methods.

Within Africa she did not endorse the sanctions being imposed on the apartheid government of South Africa, instead seeking a softer approach to a political resolution. Many criticised this lack of action but supporters have defended her arguing that she saw the ANC as a threat to South Africa and therefore saw a need to seek alternatives. Likewise she opposed the reunification of Germany, and whilst opponents criticised this stance she saw its as a way to protect against the threat of Communism taking hold in Western Europe.

Ultimately Thatcher remains a figure who polarises opinion. However, whatever political view you may hold, it is undeniable that Mrs Thatcher was a force within global politics. Her policies have made her famous the world over and for female politicians she remains a global example of what can be achieved.

With her forthright opinions and determination to always do what was right for Britain in the international arena, the ‘Iron Lady’ of British politics established a legacy that politicians have replicated time and time again and people will continue to talk about and remember in the future.

By Peter Banham

Women in Power: Females Who Run the World

Margaret Thatcher once said; “In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.” Whether this is true or not is for sociologists to discuss, but through this statement Thatcher raised the issue of women in politics; their role, representation and progress in achieving equality.

The current world political environment has seen a rise in the prevalence of women both in government and as world leaders. Major economies, such as Germany, Australia and Argentina all have female leaders who are tasked with guiding the nations through turbulent economic times and on towards greater prosperity. Female leaders are becoming increasingly powerful in international politics, an industry traditionally dominated by males, however in most regions they still remain anomalies as male powered politics remains the norm.

In the world today there are 20 female world leaders (either in office as head of their nation’s governments or as head of state):

Europe:

• Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany
• Antonella Mularoni, San Marino
• Prime Minister Johanna Siguroardottir, Iceland
• President Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuania
• President Atifete Jahjaga, Kosovo
• Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Denmark
• President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, Switzerland

Africa:

• President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberia
• President Joyce Banda, Malawi

Latin American & the Caribbean:

• President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina
• President Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rica
• Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Trinidad & Tobago
• Prime Minister Sarah Wescott-Williams, Sint Maarten
• Premier Paula Cox, Bermuda
• President Dilma Rouseff, Brazil
• Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaica

Asia

• President Pratibha Patil, India
• Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Bangladesh
• Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand

Australia

• Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Australia

When looking at the list of world leaders several world regions appear to be underrepresented; East Asia, North America and the Middle East. However East Asia and North America have both previously had female leaders. In Canada Prime Minister Kim Campbell led the country  in 1993 and in China, Soong Ching-ling became the head of state (1968-1972 & 1981). Both regions have been represented by females in important political roles, including Hilary Clinton as US Secretary of State and Park Geun-hye, a current Presidential candidate in South Korea and neither has a culture that discourages female involvement in politics. That leaves the Middle East as the only major region in which female politicians have little presence.

There has never been a female leader in the Arab World and within the wider Muslim world very few women have reached senior ministerial positions. Benazir Bhutto was famously the first female leader of a majority Muslim state, when she took office as Prime Minister in 1988. However in the core of the Middle East, in the Arab majority states, there have been few female politics. Many attribute this to the dominance of Islam, which has often been seen as a religion that discriminates against women and thus actively seeks, within certain aspects of society, to discourage the involvement of women in national politics.

Several women in the Middle East have managed to break past the gender barrier and achieved ministerial positions in the region. The U.A.E. and Bahrain are examples of countries that have made small steps to increased female representation, with Nada Haffadh appointed as Minister of Health in Bahrain (2004-2007) and Lubna Khalid Al Qasimi appointed as Minister of Foreign Trade (2004-Present). However this progress has been slow to come, as Bahrain only allowed women to vote or run for office in 2002 and the inherent bias against female politicians is still present in much of Islamic society.

Egypt is often seen as a more secular and progressive society and it has tried in recent years to try and increase female representation in the cabinet in order to address the gender imbalance, despite this President Mursi has been accused of failing to achieve adequate representation for women, with only one female member of his cabinet.

Although it appears attitudes towards women may be softening in the Arab World, the Muslim majority states still have a long way to go to reach the progressive politics that is being seen in Europe, where female politicians are a common characteristic of national politics. The religious bias against women appears more apparent when Muslim states compare themselves to their Jewish neighbour, Israel. Israel is the only nation in the core of the Middle East to have been ruled by a women. Golda Meir was the Prime Minister of Israel from 1969-1974, and although Israel is behind Europe in terms of female representation in government, the presence of a female Prime Minister is proof of its political progress compared to that of its Arab, Muslim neighbours.

However to see the progress made in female political representation there are two regions to examine;

Firstly the Indian Sub-Continent, where out of six countries, four have had female leaders. India has had two female leaders; Indira Ghandi and current President, Pratibha Patil. Bangladesh is currently ruled by a female Prime Minister, Sheik Hasina, with many females in key ministerial roles. Pakistan, as previously stated was led by Benazir Bhutto and Sri Lanka has had two female leaders, Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Kumaratunga, who hold the records for being the first time a female Prime Minister succeeded another female Prime Minister and the first time a female Prime Minister and female President led a country simultaneously. Although the existence of female leaders does not address much of the gender inequality that is present in more traditional regions of South Asian society, it does show the progressive nature of modern Indian culture in which women, although they do face great challenges to achieve political power, have the ability to break through the barrier and become world leaders.

The second region is one that has surpassed all others in the pursuit of female political representation, and that is Scandinavia. Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Norway have all had female leaders and all Scandinavian countries have high female representation (around 40%) with females frequently reaching key ministerial positions. Here there are few qualms about giving women political power and their rise to power clearly has far few barriers that those leaders in the Indian Sub-Continent.

Ultimately though, the position of women in politics, across the world, is still in need of further development and progress. There are multiple regions where female political representation is still very low and the issues that have prevented women from taking part in the political process, be they social or religious, need to be addressed. In addition despite the rise to power of women in key global economies, including Brazil, Germany, Argentina and Australia, other developed nations also have more work to do. Many European states have never seen a female leader and others, such as the UK, are yet to build on the progress made by their only female leader, Margaret Thatcher.

What needs to happen in world politics is a move away from female leaders being an anomaly, to female leaders being a norm within global politics.

By Peter Banham