President Obama´s extraordinary peace commitment rewarded with Nobel Peace Prize
Surya B. Prasai
October 13, 2009
On October 9, 2009, US President Barack Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to build the momentum of global peace through such bold initiatives as to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress the primacy of multilateral diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism in US foreign policy.
According to a White House press statement, President Obama stated at the Rose Garden, "I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations...To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace."
However, many in the global media immediately praised President Obama for his frank and humble acceptance speech. He is planning to travel to Oslo to accept the prize, and it is believed he will donate to charity the $1.4 million cash award that comprises the prize. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs states, it is likely that more than one charity will benefit.
It is interesting to note that the Nobel Peace Prize awarding committee has taken a a wider interpretation of Nobel's guidelines, expanding the prize beyond peace mediation to include efforts to combat poverty, disease and climate change in recent years. AFP reported from Oslo that until seconds before the award to Obama, a wider speculation focused on Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a Colombian senator, a Chinese dissident and an Afghan woman's rights activist, among others. Thus, the surprised Obama stated, "I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century."
For some observers and critics, they feel the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline had yet to yield concrete achievements in peacemaking. They might have been citing the wars in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the wake of deadly US counter-terror strikes in Pakistan and Somalia. But members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said their choice could be seen as an early vote of confidence in Obama intended to build global support for his policies. The Committee lauded the change in global mood through Obama's calls for peace and cooperation. They praised his pledges to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms, ease American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthen the U.S. role in combating climate change. In fact, the Noble Peace Prize 2009 citation reads," Obama has as (US) President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts."
A former Noble Peace Prize Winner in 1984, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, said Obama's award shows great things are expected from him in the coming years. Archbishop Tutu stated "In a way, it's an award coming near the beginning of the first term of office of a relatively young president that anticipates an even greater contribution towards making our world a safer place for all. It is an award that speaks to the promise of President Obama's message of hope." The Archbishop was of the view that the Prize was a "wonderful recognition" of Obama's effort to reach out to the Arab world after years of hostility.
At a personal level, President Obama had sprung the message of global peace in several international forums, most remarkably at the 64th UN General Assembly in New York, where his speech was punctuated with repeated applause never seen or heard before in its austere chambers with delegates and world leaders scrambling to shake hands. For any live observer of the scene, it was quite a sight to witness! In his weekly addresses to the American people and to the global community at large, Mr. Obama has continued stressing working to end the war in Iraq and "to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the American people and our allies" in Afghanistan.
In a rare departure from the unified press release stance of the Nobel Committee, Aagot Valle, a lawmaker for the Socialist Left party who joined the committee this year, stated she hoped the selection would be viewed as "support and a commitment for Obama. And I hope it will be an inspiration for all those that work with nuclear disarmament and disarmament." she told AP. Normally Nobel peace committee usually speak only through its chairman. The interesting part of the Nobel committee´s decision this year to award Mr. Obama the peace prize, was to encourage ongoing peace efforts although his efforts are at far earlier stages than past winners.
In fact, the Nobel committee acknowledges some of the actions may not bear fruit at all, which the US President described in his own humble impromptu remarks at the Rose Garden, "Some of the work confronting us will not be completed during my presidency. Some, like the elimination of nuclear weapons, may not be completed in my lifetime. But I know these challenges can be met so long as it's recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone. This award is not simply about the efforts of my administration -- it's about the courageous efforts of people around the world."
Mr. Obama stressed, "And that's why this award must be shared with everyone who strives for justice and dignity -- for the young woman who marches silently in the streets on behalf of her right to be heard even in the face of beatings and bullets; for the leader imprisoned in her own home because she refuses to abandon her commitment to democracy; for the soldier who sacrificed through tour after tour of duty on behalf of someone half a world away; and for all those men and women across the world who sacrifice their safety and their freedom and sometime their lives for the cause of peace."
According to the global media variously in Europe, Asia and Africa favoring the Nobel Peace Prize Award that was given to Mr. Obama, lionized for bringing the United States closer to mainstream global thinking on issues like climate change and multilateralism, he is considered a true catalyst for change, a symbolism of global peace. AP which was one of the first media to report the award being given to Mr. Obama, states a 25-nation poll of 27,000 people released in July by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found double-digit boosts to the percentage of people viewing the U.S. favorably in countries around the world. That indicator had plunged across the world under Mr. Obama´s predecessor. However various American media have also reported that the picture might be a bit more complicated at home, where President Obama is often criticized as he attempts to carry out his agenda, from government spending to health care to the conduct of the war in Afghanistan.
These media sources supporting criticism from some on the left, have been stating that President Obama has been slow to bring troops home from Iraq and the real end of the U.S. military presence there won't come until at least 2012. Similarly, in Afghanistan, he is seriously considering ramping up the number of U.S. troops on the ground and asking for help from other friendly countries too.
On global climate change, President Obama has stated battling global environmental degradation is a top priority. But then some in the US media report that it is likely the U.S will head into crucial international negotiations set for Copenhagen in December with Obama-backed legislation still stalled in Congress. Similarly on reducing the attempt to reduce the global nuclear warheads stockpile the July talks in Moscow, showed President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreeing that their negotiators would work out a new limit on delivery vehicles for nuclear warheads of between 500 and 1,100. They had agreed that warhead limits would be reduced from the current range of 1,700-2,200 to as low as 1,500. The United States now has about 2,200 such warheads, compared to about 2,800 for the Russians. However, there is no further word on whether either side has started to act on the reductions.
Obama is the third sitting U.S. president to win the award. President Theodore Roosevelt won in 1906 and President Woodrow Wilson was awarded the prize in 1919. President Woodrow Wilson received the prize for his role in founding the League of Nations, the hopeful but ultimately failed precursor to the contemporary United Nations. In 2002, Democratic President Jimmy Carter was awarded the Peace Prize for his mediation in international conflicts. The committee also honored former Vice President Gore for his campaign to raise awareness about global warming.
President Obama capped off his remarks in accepting the prize, "That..(PEACE) has always been the cause of America. That's why the world has always looked to America. And that's why I believe America will continue to lead." Former Peace Prize winner Mohamed El Baradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, concurs with the Obama vision believing that the US President has already provided outstanding leadership in the effort to prevent nuclear proliferation. "He has shown an unshakable commitment to diplomacy, mutual respect and dialogue as the best means of resolving conflicts."
Nominators for the nearly 205 potential prize clinchers for 2009, (a new record in itself), included former laureates; current and former members of the committee and their staff; members of national governments and legislatures; university professors of law, theology, social sciences, history and philosophy; leaders of peace research and foreign affairs institutes; and members of international courts of law.
In his 1895 will, Alfred Nobel stipulated that the peace prize should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses." President Obama fits this extraordinary category of deserving people who live their lives above the normalcy of daily needs to champion the larger cause of global humanity with unflinching commitment, compassion and justice in the furtherance of world peace.
According to a White House press statement, President Obama stated at the Rose Garden, "I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations...To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace."
However, many in the global media immediately praised President Obama for his frank and humble acceptance speech. He is planning to travel to Oslo to accept the prize, and it is believed he will donate to charity the $1.4 million cash award that comprises the prize. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs states, it is likely that more than one charity will benefit.
It is interesting to note that the Nobel Peace Prize awarding committee has taken a a wider interpretation of Nobel's guidelines, expanding the prize beyond peace mediation to include efforts to combat poverty, disease and climate change in recent years. AFP reported from Oslo that until seconds before the award to Obama, a wider speculation focused on Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a Colombian senator, a Chinese dissident and an Afghan woman's rights activist, among others. Thus, the surprised Obama stated, "I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century."
For some observers and critics, they feel the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline had yet to yield concrete achievements in peacemaking. They might have been citing the wars in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the wake of deadly US counter-terror strikes in Pakistan and Somalia. But members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said their choice could be seen as an early vote of confidence in Obama intended to build global support for his policies. The Committee lauded the change in global mood through Obama's calls for peace and cooperation. They praised his pledges to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms, ease American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthen the U.S. role in combating climate change. In fact, the Noble Peace Prize 2009 citation reads," Obama has as (US) President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts."
A former Noble Peace Prize Winner in 1984, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, said Obama's award shows great things are expected from him in the coming years. Archbishop Tutu stated "In a way, it's an award coming near the beginning of the first term of office of a relatively young president that anticipates an even greater contribution towards making our world a safer place for all. It is an award that speaks to the promise of President Obama's message of hope." The Archbishop was of the view that the Prize was a "wonderful recognition" of Obama's effort to reach out to the Arab world after years of hostility.
At a personal level, President Obama had sprung the message of global peace in several international forums, most remarkably at the 64th UN General Assembly in New York, where his speech was punctuated with repeated applause never seen or heard before in its austere chambers with delegates and world leaders scrambling to shake hands. For any live observer of the scene, it was quite a sight to witness! In his weekly addresses to the American people and to the global community at large, Mr. Obama has continued stressing working to end the war in Iraq and "to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the American people and our allies" in Afghanistan.
In a rare departure from the unified press release stance of the Nobel Committee, Aagot Valle, a lawmaker for the Socialist Left party who joined the committee this year, stated she hoped the selection would be viewed as "support and a commitment for Obama. And I hope it will be an inspiration for all those that work with nuclear disarmament and disarmament." she told AP. Normally Nobel peace committee usually speak only through its chairman. The interesting part of the Nobel committee´s decision this year to award Mr. Obama the peace prize, was to encourage ongoing peace efforts although his efforts are at far earlier stages than past winners.
In fact, the Nobel committee acknowledges some of the actions may not bear fruit at all, which the US President described in his own humble impromptu remarks at the Rose Garden, "Some of the work confronting us will not be completed during my presidency. Some, like the elimination of nuclear weapons, may not be completed in my lifetime. But I know these challenges can be met so long as it's recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone. This award is not simply about the efforts of my administration -- it's about the courageous efforts of people around the world."
Mr. Obama stressed, "And that's why this award must be shared with everyone who strives for justice and dignity -- for the young woman who marches silently in the streets on behalf of her right to be heard even in the face of beatings and bullets; for the leader imprisoned in her own home because she refuses to abandon her commitment to democracy; for the soldier who sacrificed through tour after tour of duty on behalf of someone half a world away; and for all those men and women across the world who sacrifice their safety and their freedom and sometime their lives for the cause of peace."
According to the global media variously in Europe, Asia and Africa favoring the Nobel Peace Prize Award that was given to Mr. Obama, lionized for bringing the United States closer to mainstream global thinking on issues like climate change and multilateralism, he is considered a true catalyst for change, a symbolism of global peace. AP which was one of the first media to report the award being given to Mr. Obama, states a 25-nation poll of 27,000 people released in July by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found double-digit boosts to the percentage of people viewing the U.S. favorably in countries around the world. That indicator had plunged across the world under Mr. Obama´s predecessor. However various American media have also reported that the picture might be a bit more complicated at home, where President Obama is often criticized as he attempts to carry out his agenda, from government spending to health care to the conduct of the war in Afghanistan.
These media sources supporting criticism from some on the left, have been stating that President Obama has been slow to bring troops home from Iraq and the real end of the U.S. military presence there won't come until at least 2012. Similarly, in Afghanistan, he is seriously considering ramping up the number of U.S. troops on the ground and asking for help from other friendly countries too.
On global climate change, President Obama has stated battling global environmental degradation is a top priority. But then some in the US media report that it is likely the U.S will head into crucial international negotiations set for Copenhagen in December with Obama-backed legislation still stalled in Congress. Similarly on reducing the attempt to reduce the global nuclear warheads stockpile the July talks in Moscow, showed President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreeing that their negotiators would work out a new limit on delivery vehicles for nuclear warheads of between 500 and 1,100. They had agreed that warhead limits would be reduced from the current range of 1,700-2,200 to as low as 1,500. The United States now has about 2,200 such warheads, compared to about 2,800 for the Russians. However, there is no further word on whether either side has started to act on the reductions.
Obama is the third sitting U.S. president to win the award. President Theodore Roosevelt won in 1906 and President Woodrow Wilson was awarded the prize in 1919. President Woodrow Wilson received the prize for his role in founding the League of Nations, the hopeful but ultimately failed precursor to the contemporary United Nations. In 2002, Democratic President Jimmy Carter was awarded the Peace Prize for his mediation in international conflicts. The committee also honored former Vice President Gore for his campaign to raise awareness about global warming.
President Obama capped off his remarks in accepting the prize, "That..(PEACE) has always been the cause of America. That's why the world has always looked to America. And that's why I believe America will continue to lead." Former Peace Prize winner Mohamed El Baradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, concurs with the Obama vision believing that the US President has already provided outstanding leadership in the effort to prevent nuclear proliferation. "He has shown an unshakable commitment to diplomacy, mutual respect and dialogue as the best means of resolving conflicts."
Nominators for the nearly 205 potential prize clinchers for 2009, (a new record in itself), included former laureates; current and former members of the committee and their staff; members of national governments and legislatures; university professors of law, theology, social sciences, history and philosophy; leaders of peace research and foreign affairs institutes; and members of international courts of law.
In his 1895 will, Alfred Nobel stipulated that the peace prize should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses." President Obama fits this extraordinary category of deserving people who live their lives above the normalcy of daily needs to champion the larger cause of global humanity with unflinching commitment, compassion and justice in the furtherance of world peace.
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