Congress, the administration, and the nonprofit sector all recognize they need to do more to bring the voices of women and people of color into foreign policy decision-making.
Yet the field of nuclear security policy has remained largely closed to people of different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
It’s not at all unusual to see hearings like the one held in late April by the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, which featured four white men unwilling to recommend a single reform to U.S. nuclear policies.
Changing who sits at the policy table is important. Democracy cannot function properly when people are excluded from the decision-making process because of their race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other factors.
Outcomes are less successful when leaders fail to consider a wide variety of views and perspectives. Yet at every stage of the process, the current system manages to dismiss, disrespect, disempower, and dehumanize women and people of color.
You can find the rest of the May/JuneWashington Newsletter, including the rest of this article, in the sidebar to the right.