It was like a scene from a futuristic thriller, with the mood that unpredictable fusion of passion, bravery and fear that drove last year's revolutions in North Africa. As I left the pandemonium of Tahrir Square in Egypt's capital, I was not surprised to bump into the familiar figure of a woman with an American accent and a distinctive eye-patch.

When the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) held its inaugural meeting in London back in 1946, the U.S. delegate, Eleanor Roosevelt, read an open letter to "the women of the world" calling on governments to encourage women everywhere to participate in national and international affairs.