I was joking in the last blog about the Peace Prize, but now I realize that people really are confused, so let me explain why he got it.I, too, have a vision of world peace, but I did not get the Nobel Peace prize. I didn't accomplish anything except write this blog. And not enough people read it or follow my instructions, so I don't deserve the peace prize.
Obama won, and some people think he didn't deserve it because he has not yet achieved world peace. Actually, nobody has ever achieved world peace, war is still with us.
Some people will never be able to understand why Obama won. The greatest confusion about this award comes from the neocons in the USA, and that is because they do not see the world the way Norwegians do (and a lot of other people.) Republicans see America as the main force for good on Earth, and they believe unquestioningly that the only chance for world peace is for America to conquer the world. Even if they have to nuke a few cities to do it, and torture suspected terrorists for information. Neocons and Republicans will never understand why Obama won, to them it seems like he is working against peace.
The rest of the world sees it differently. The country that they hoped would be a bulwark against evil warmongers had become an evil warmonger itself.
I think what the world needs most right now is a good man as President of the USA, who can begin to get American War fever under control. With Obama as president, I have stopped worrying that the USA will (for example) fabricate a false story to launch a nuclear strike on Iran.
What are Obama's accomplishments so far? He successfully became president of the USA. He stopped torture from being perpetrated by the US. He has made conciliatory gestures to all those opposed to the USA, risking assassination at home to do so. Many people supporting peace have been assassinated, many of them Nobel Prize winners. Obama was already a target for assassination, now he is more so.
Summary:
- He has a vision of peace
- He worked his way up to President of the USA
- He has made inspiring speeches of peace
- He has stopped US torturing
- He is already talking to Israelis and Palestinians about peace, that may take time to come to fruition though
- He unilaterally stopped the Missile defense shield that was causing renewed hostilities with Russia
- He has been fair and reasonable in his foreign policy (ex. He said Iran has the right to peaceful nuclear power)
- He has offered peace talks without preconditions
- He is risking his life every day with the pro-war US extremists threatening assassination.
- He has inspired millions of people into doing something, even if it's small, for peace.
I only wish Obama could have gone back in time and won the election against Hitler, it would have saved us a lot of problems. But he couldn't, and even if he did, I wouldn't have been born, so let's get back to reality.
By being elected president of the USA Obama has taken on the most important peacekeeping role ever in the history of the world.
Yes, I know he made it look too easy. Give the man the prize already, he deserves it.
I concur.
ReplyDeleteMy suspicion is that a lot of the people who are screaming about this decision are not familiar with previous recipients of this prize and the pattern of awards.
Previous American presidents receiving this honour include Teddy Roosevelt ... he of the 'Big Stick' (sounds 'peaceful' to me ;-)
Also Woodrow Wilson, ineffective leader who failed to gain Congressional approval for his League of Nations project.
As well as Jimmy Carter - another impugned Democratic president.
Whereas the other Nobel prizes are awarded for 'completed' works of scientific or literary significance, the Peace prize is often granted for 'works in progress.'
In my humble opinion, the shift away from the frightening aggressiveness and unilateralism of the Project for a New American Century maniacs that had so much influence on Bush, to the much more moderate and multilateralism we're now seeing from the Obama administration does deserve recognition and encouragement.
I will be interested, though, in seeing which causes receive Obama's $1.5 million prize money. It'd only be fitting if it went to organizations actively working for world peace.
Today I was shocked and horrified, when I was flipping through the latest MacLean's Magazine, there was an article "Did Obama Deserve the Peace Prize?", and they used the very same picture I stole for my blog.
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