Obama and the Peace Prize

From the BBC: US President Barack Obama is due to collect his Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Norway’s capital, Oslo. The prize was awarded to Mr Obama in October for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”. … There was a mixed reaction when Mr Obama was named as … Continue reading “Obama and the Peace Prize”

From the BBC:

US President Barack Obama is due to collect his Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Norway’s capital, Oslo. The prize was awarded to Mr Obama in October for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”.
…
There was a mixed reaction when Mr Obama was named as the winner of the prize for 2009.
Many said it was inappropriate that it could go to the commander-in-chief of a country involved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I think that we have to take the historical perspective here. I don’t care if Obama showed effective leadership or a show of strength of purpose for the American people. I can only describe what Obama meant to me when he was elected – speaking as a yokel in a piss-ant country on the north-western edge of Europe. Obama means hope.

For hope alone I believe that Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ian Percy:

We judge others by actions[,] we judge ourselves by intentions.

and that’s so dangerously wrong. We should always do exactly the reverse.

From the Harvard Law Record:

“Deeds are to be judged by their intentions”: this is an Arabic proverb that reflects an ancient adage that intentions are just as powerful as deeds, and that notwithstanding the fact that not all good intentions lead to fruition they are still worth recognition.

That’s my opinion of course. Do you think that Obama deserves to be picking up the Nobel Peace Prize? How did you feel when he was elected? Do you feel different now?

Related posts:

  1. Revealing the not-so-secret curmudgeon in me…
  2. Drawing a line means “no more victims in our future” not “Forget all victims of our past”
  3. Progress
  4. My submission to the Haass process

0 thoughts on “Obama and the Peace Prize”

  1. The Peace Prize has been awarded in the past both fo deeds done and as an encouragement for people to continue on a certain path. It is for the later that President Obama has been awarded it I feel.

    I cried on election night when he won. With joy. I don’t feel different now. He is doing good work in many areas within a system that is designed to limit power to act by any of the branches of Government.

    Ian

  2. So, how do you feel now that he’s decided to escalate the wars he inherited?

    I think he’s ditching the events around the prize presentation because he’s embarrassed, as he should be.

    -jcr

  3. I think the reasons given for sending the extra troops to Afghanistan are valid. It needs to be accelerated so that the NATO forces can be withdrawn in the medium term. Letting it go on the way it is at present isn’t really and option. Neither is just cutting and running at this stage.

    Not ideal having to increase the commitment, but the least worst option given the situation.

    Ian

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