I think he deserves it for the same reasons that the prize committee determined: “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” citing his fledgling push for nuclear disarmament and his outreach to the Muslim world.
Although the accomplishment seems pre-mature and unwarranted, I believe that “hope” and “promise” are worth acknowledging (look at Former President Bush for instance; no hope). When you grasp the magnitude of Obama’s potential, it is clear why the Norwegian Nobel committee couldn’t help but use this award as a call for action. I believe the prize will give the Obama Administration an even greater sense of accountability for the vast array of their global agendas.
On the other hand, I think Obama’s celebrity may have influenced the decision. What else can you really award the President of the United States? Nothing that I can think of. They may have just given him the prize as “a gift from us, the global community, to you President Obama.”
Last but not least, for all the critics, this is NOT the worst thing to happen. There have been a number of criminals and controversial figures who have been awarded the Nobel. Obama is a lot more deserving of the prize than any of the following names:
• Daniel Carleton Gajdusek, who won in 1976 for his research in human slow-virus infections, spent 19 months in jail after pleading guilty in 1997 to charges of child molestation.
• Johannes Fibiger won in 1926 after discovering parasitic worms cause cancer — a breakthrough that turned out to not be true.
• Yasser Arafat shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin. This decision caused Nobel Committee member Kare Kristiansen to resign. “What consequences will result,” he asked at the time, “when a terrorist with such a background is awarded the world’s most prestigious prize?”
• William Shockley won for Physics in 1956 for his role in the invention of the semiconductor, but his support of the eugenics movement alienated the scientific community. Shockley also donated sperm to the Repository for Germinal Choice, a sperm bank developed to spread humanity’s best genes.
For your viewing pleasure, here is a completely unrelated video from the Boondocks. But I think it’s hilarious so i’m including it.
No related posts.
First of all, congrats to President Obama for wining the Noble Peace Prize. Noble Peace Prize is the epitome of priceless lifetime achievement that an individual can attain and to otherwise demean its significance is simply wrong. Therefore, I am satisfied with the committee’s decision, because they have a very crucial complex task of choosing among the well-deserving nominations every year.
But I will like to address the question of whether or not if President Obama was deserving of the prize? I just believe that the timing wasn’t right of nominating and then eventually gifting President Obama with such a prize. Let me clearly state that I am a huge supporter of Pres. Obama and have been since his preliminary run for the senate for the state of Illinois even before his speech at the Democratic Convention in 2004. He has the incredible ability to move a person with his words and comply by making those impossible promises that are made seem possible. He has done an amazing job of fitting things together microscopically to create the whole picture and express that hope can be translated into creating change paving a new road to success. And am pleased by his direct immediate action of donating the prize to charity personifying his true character as a simple modest human being.
So then why do I believe that timing is not right…it’s because the reasons that were mentioned of why he deserves such a prize has yet to fully bloom and show any results. His international diplomacy is too fragile to be deemed as successful and what is this ‘outreach’ to the Muslim world? If this is based on what he stated during his candidacy that he was going to have ‘consultation/talks’ with leaders, then that was not just for Muslim countries, but for any country whether it’s Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, China, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and etc. The Muslim countries only have conflict with the U.S. when the U.S. interferes diplomatically and become the protective big brother for Israel.
So what ‘outreach’ if there is still the ongoing tension in the Middle East, the unresolved difficulties experienced by Afghans of what is currently happening when they are still confused of what has happened in their country and the same is true for Iraqis?
So what ‘outreach’ when Muslims across the world collectively are still being considered ‘terrorists?’ Everyday whether it’s CNN or some other news broadcasting, there is at least some mention of ‘terrorists’…Christians attacked by ‘terrorists’…Israel ongoing conflict with ‘terrorists’…Indians border struggle with ‘terrorists’ and it goes on and on and so on. I won’t be surprised if children of today (even including the children in Muslim countries) have come to associate Muslims and ‘terrorists’ as synonyms. It is true that President Obama is working on developing a progressive interaction and searching for a peaceful resolution for the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine and the general turmoil in Middle East, while at the same time transforming the negative reputation of U.S. into positive. But this is still at the stage of blueprint and nothing has been implemented practically yet so it can’t be enough yet to provide the Noble Peace Prize, since he has been in office for a little over nine months.
The other notion I got from this situation, which was mentioned by Dr. Dapo also, was that President Obama was presented with the Noble Peace Prize, because of his charisma/personality as a Black person of finally attaining the position of presidency of U.S. It is true that this is a real accomplishment that no one can demean, because it is a history in the making, but this is a ‘PEACE’ prize it does not correlate with this historical significance nor is it a prize for a popularity contest. So unless I have missed something, I am still unclear of why President Obama was gifted with the prize?
And at a risk of possibly being placed as one of those ‘critic,’ I couldn’t resist and had to comment on the ‘so called undeserving’ candidates who won the prize also…presented by Dr. Dapo as proof that ‘Obama is a lot more deserving of the prize than any of the following names:’
You are right, BUT in taking the risk of further pulling your leg…I CAN’T believe YOU would place and compare President Obama with these people…(conception to misconception)…WOW…SMH!!!
~a criminal/incarcerated
~a quack
~a ‘terrorist’
~a self-conceited chauvinist