Press
In Afghanistan, Hell is Freezing Over
Where I am in DC the days are mild and nights are crisp. But in Afghanistan, hell is freezing over. Some starving families are resorting to selling their daughters. This tragedy is a legacy of the chronic exclusion of women in decision making. That’s the subject of the most recent piece I co-authored with my […]
Press
Marie Yovanovitch Launches an Insurrection
On October 11 the world watched as the former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch strode boldly into the Capitol. In a basement room away from cameras, she addressed the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees. Her deposition lasted more than nine hours. A foreign service officer for 33 years, Yovanovitch was directed this […]
Big Idea, Press
In the Aftermath of Genocide, Rwanda’s Women Have Transformed the Country
For the past 25 years, former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and I have listened with awe to the stories of Rwandan women who came together to rebuild their country after a savage genocide. This afternoon, The Boston Globe published our piece about this privilege of a lifetime, and I want you to be […]
Press
My Career: From Bumbling Neophyte to Pioneering Diplomat
History can be told only in stories. Here are a few of mine. The purpose of sharing these accounts — particularly during Women’s History Month — is to show that women, like men, can grow from bumbling neophytes to competent leaders. For me, that has meant losing my balance and losing my way. Occasionally, I’ve […]
Post
Note From a Proud Founder
Greetings, Nearly two decades ago, we brought together more than 100 activists from around the globe for the first Women Waging Peace Colloquium at Harvard, my academic home base, to reinvent the way decisions are made about war and peace. For the Kennedy School’s then dean, Joseph Nye, this was an example of what he […]
Post
This Rwandan Woman’s Journey to Elected Office Began in the US
The following text was excerpted from Ambassador Hunt’s latest book, Rwandan Women Rising. Seeing Jeanne d’Arc Gakuba, Vice President of Rwanda’s Senate, seated on the wooden-paneled dais beside the legislature’s other leadership, it’s hard to imagine that her journey to elected office started 7,000 miles away, in the United States. In 2000, she was selected […]
Press
Rebuilding Rwanda: Access and Accountability
This article was originally published by Global Post. This is the last piece in a five-part series. KIGALI, Rwanda — An inside view of Rwanda is Umushyikirano, an enormous town hall presided over by President Kagame and attended by his cabinet, their high-level staff, religious and business leaders, plus officials from the country’s 30 districts. […]
Press
Rebuilding Rwanda: Trauma and Trust
This article was originally published by Global Post. This is the fourth piece in a five-part series. KIGALI, Rwanda — Rwanda’s First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, has launched yet another initiative in this tiny central African state. Her office has started up projects advancing children, particularly girls, and providing what a business school might dub a […]
Press
Rebuilding Rwanda: Women in Politics
This article was originally published by Global Post. This is the third piece in a five-part series. KIGALI, Rwanda — Senator Jeanne d’Arc Gakuba hadn’t considered getting into politics until she shadowed a city councilman in Tucson, Arizona and watched local leaders in Louisiana coping with poverty and crime. It was 2000, and Gakuba had […]
Press
Rebuilding Rwanda: Women in the Private Sector
This article was originally published by Global Post. This is the second piece in a five-part series. KIGALI, Rwanda — To shoot her portrait, we met Immy Kamarade at her petrol station. The photos are striking — Kamarade, in a pencil skirt and a black and white checked jacket, standing beneath a bright red rooftop […]
