Hillary Clinton Backs Saudi Women Defying Driving Ban

[onehandle]

Source: AP

LONDON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton has supported Saudi women who this week defied their kingdom's ban on female driving.

The former U.S. secretary of state told an event in London: "I'm all for it. It is an issue that is symbolic." She added that the ban is "hard to even rationalize" in today's world.

Clinton was speaking at London's Chatham House international affairs think tank on Friday. The organization awarded her its annual Chatham House Prize to recognize her contribution to international diplomacy and her work in furthering gender equality.

Previous winners of the prize include Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi and former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/11/hillary-clinton-saudi-women-driving-ban_n_4086382.html

[Laelth]

1. That was unwise, imho.

Given that she's now a private citizen who no longer speaks in a representative capacity as the voice of the United States, she's free to speak her mind. If she ever becomes President, however, this incident may cause her (and us) some friction with a very important ally.

-Laelth

[DURHAM D]

3. I disagree with you 100%

and applaud Hillary for her statement.

[northoftheborder]

12. Also applaud Hillary.

[msanthrope]

5. You seem concerned. nt

[Laelth]

6. No need to be mean. n/t

-Laelth

[msanthrope]

10. Indeed. If you think that is me being 'mean' then I think you are unfamiliar with me. nt

[Laelth]

15. So, your response is, "I could have been a lot meaner?"

That makes me feel better.

-Laelth

[msanthrope]

24. No...my response is that that is not me being mean. nt

[fitman]

7. I'm glad she is telling Saudi to go pound sand

about time we stop walking on eggshells with this idiotic country.

Good for Hillary.

[Beacool]

8. Hillary said something similar when she was the SOS.

[Laelth]

17. Did she? I must have missed it.

I think we get ourselves into enough trouble being the global advocates for "democracy." That, of course, was one of our excuses for invading Iraq. I'd rather not add to our list of excuses for militarism, "Defenders of women's rights across the planet." We have enough excuses already to invade sovereign states.

It's just bad form, imo, to meddle in the domestic affairs of foreign nations, though, I admit, I have sympathy for the women of Saudi Arabia who want the right to drive. I do not object to their protesting. I do object to those who make us look bad and who subject us to the accusation that we are "meddling" in the internal affairs of other sovereign states.

If Ms. Clinton did so as Secretary of State, she was speaking for me, and, as I said, I don't like being rightfully accused of meddling in the internal affairs of other countries. That makes us all look bad.

-Laelth

[Beacool]

21. In 2011 Hillary at first had remained publicly quiet about this issue

while bringing it up in private with the Saudis, but she eventually spoke publicly in support of the women who were holding a driving protest. Yesterday, Hillary was responding to an audience question when she spoke in support of Saudi women driving.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/21/clinton.saudi.women/index.html

[awoke_in_2003]

13. Fuck the Saudis...

only difference between them and Iran is SA sells us oil.

[Laelth]

18. LOL. You are kidding, right?

The fact that SA sells us (and Japan and the U.K. and France and Germany--our allies) a lot of oil is really a big deal.

-Laelth

[moriah]

14. I disagree. The driving issue is something that the Saudi government knows they have to change.

Saudi women feel far more strongly about the right to drive, as it impacts their daily lives far more, than they are about things we might think would be unbearable -- such as mandatory hijab. How you dress is far less restrictive than having no option to go to school or work which does not violate your religion's imperative to not mix with non-related males. Public transportation is unsafe, and not often available to women even in urban areas. Drivers are generally unrelated, and often are strangers, so many women are forbidden every way they could have to get to school or work.

The driving situation is such that it's not precisely illegal for women to drive. In rural areas, many women do drive and are allowed. But licenses are only issued to men, and they're issued at the regional level. The King himself has spoken about this and said "I believe the day will come when women will drive. In fact if you look at the areas of Saudi Arabia, the desert, and in the rural areas, you will find that women do drive. The issue will require patience. In time I believe that it will be possible."

This is the perfect issue for Hillary to speak on.

[Laelth]

19. We have no business meddling in the internal affairs of foreign nations.

It's the same kind of error as our attempt to bring "democracy" to Iraq. In my mind, it's none of our business. I have no interest in being the global policeman for women's rights around the globe.

-Laelth

[moriah]

20. When she calls upon regime change to make them start driving, holler. n/t

[Tumbulu]

25. what???? how about female mutilation? How about

human rights- we never shut up. Despite the fact that as a nation we are hypocritical.

Look the one thing the women of this country need to do and with a much louder voice is criticize these outrageous sexist regulations.

[jberryhill]

28. Criticizing is not "meddling"

[ButterflyBlood]

29. Did she call for invading Saudi Arabia to repeal the driving ban?

If not any comparison to Iraq is comically stupid.

[Tumbulu]

26. If she became president she better make huge waves about this

In fact if she dares to run and become the first female president and she does not stand up for women worldwide at long last many women will feel very betrayed.

[Posteritatis]

38. Oh fuck that sideways. She's absolutely in the right on this. (nt)

[Zorra]

49. If she becomes Prez, I hope it causes her to embargo Saudi Arabia and cut off all

diplomatic relations with the misogynistic, homophobic, human trafficking pedophile government of Saudi Arabia.

Hillary Clinton: +1

[Deep13]

51. I wish all politicians were this unwise. nt

[Arkansas Granny]

2. Hillary Clinton has been a champion of human rights, especially women's rights, since

she has been in the public eye.

[Beacool]

9. And she was championing children's rights since her law school days.

She worked for the Children's Defense Fund and has been an advocate for children ever since then.

[closeupready]

35. Disagree.

[Arkansas Granny]

36. OK. Can you explain why you disagree?

[Miranda4peace]

4. Great cause.

Not sure if it's going to have any force in the Middle East considering most view her as a war criminal across the waters.

[Beacool]

11. Hillary was awarded the 2013 Chatham House Prize

Prior to the gala award ceremony, she had a question and answer session at the Chatham House. Her comments about Saudi women driving was in response to one of those questions (near the end of the video).

Yesterday was the Clinton's anniversary and Bill was there with her.

Award Ceremony

[heaven05]

16. yeah is she going to take their

place when they are publicly beheaded for defying their male, Islamist masters? Just a question.

[William769]

22. Good for Hillary!

Expanding women's rights is always the right thing to do.

[cristianmarie533]

23. Good for you, Hillary!

And shame on the Saudis for maintaining such a sexist law. These people are our allies?

[Tumbulu]

27. Good! nt

[christx30]

30. It's the law of the land there.

We might not agree with it, but we must respect it.

[ButterflyBlood]

31. What was your opinion of apartheid South Africa?

nt

[christx30]

32. So you're ok with

people breaking the law if it's a law you disagree with.

[ButterflyBlood]

33. I don't have a problem with Rosa Parks or Nelson Mandela no

Or anyone who helped hide Jews in Nazi Germany.

[Arkansas Granny]

37. It's called civil disobedience. That's what people do to call attention to an unjust law.

It can be a very effective tool in bringing light to a situation.

[Posteritatis]

39. How do you think fundamentally unjust laws get changed? (nt)

[christx30]

41. The problem is

how do you know which laws are unjust? Who decides that? What if its a law that you feel is good but someone else thinks is terrible? Who should prevail?

[Posteritatis]

42. You would've gone over wonderfully in the Jim Crow era. (nt)

[christx30]

43. Again I ask

If you are in favor of a law, but someone else belived it to be unjust, would you support them defying it?

[Posteritatis]

44. I would support the position I believe to be correct, just like people fighting unjust laws do.

That said, loaded rhetorical tricks bore me almost as much as absolutist we-can't-question-their ways relativism.

[christx30]

45. I'm against the bans on women driving.

I was trying to illustrate that just because something is the law of the land doesn't always mean it's correct.

And I'm sure that the people that are actually for the ban believe it's the correct position to take.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

47. Who cares?

There were people that believe all sorts of hateful backwards nonsense, fuck them.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

46. I am.

And God bless Rosa Parks, MLK and the folks who led sit ins at lunch counters for feeling the same way. We didn't make progress in this country by being a bunch of timid, boot licking, wimps. I thank God for people that stand up to authority and unjust laws everyday. How do I know when laws are unjust? I have a basic moral compass and a core set of beliefs that guide me.

[daleo]

34. It is amazing that this is even an issue

In the 21st century.

[Posteritatis]

40. It's even more amazing how many people here are defending the law. (nt)

[Stay calm buddy]

48. Good

I support equality.

[Pterodactyl]

50. That would have had more weight if she had done it while still secretary of state.

[Nye Bevan]

52. Whoa. So she's thrown away the votes of the "Saudi women should be banned from driving" crowd.

How imprudent. Surely a more balanced, nuanced position would have served her better.

[Sunlei]

53. Chatham House Prize to recognize her contribution to international diplomacy

[JDPriestly]

54. So what is Hillary going to do to help the Saudi women who are punished for driving?

Or is her support just hot air.

I think it is rather easy to stand up in London and say you support Saudi women who dare to drive when their driving is against Saudi law. I would like to see Hillary suggest some way to drive home to Saudi Arabia that their lousy treatment of women means that we don't consider them to be among our favorite nations.