Obama's Nobel

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Everybody's heard about it, I'm sure. What's your opinion? Too early? Undeserved? Why do you think he got it?


_{Edited to correct the title}

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Because he isn't Dubya?
--
In general terms it seems premature, he hasn't done physically much to deserve it and he is considering more emphasis on an ongoing war (Afghanistan).

OTOH he signed the order to close Guantánamo on his first day on office and he declared that the official policy was to follow the Geneva Convention and other treaties. He changed the way to do business in several aspects that may not seem as important but are significant like the decision to cut the missile defense shield installation in Poland and the Czech Republic, and the way to engage Iran's nuclear plans. He is moving in the right direction even if his measures aren't as deep as some may wish.

I guess the prize reason is a mixture good initiatives and good intentions, plus the obvious signal that the rest of the world doesn't hate the US as much as some of it's policies and when someone seems active in their perceived right direction (s)he should be rewarded.

They are actually running a risk by awarding the prize so soon, although looking for the alleged nominees* I can't see many alternatives, more so when part of the idea is to influence policy.

* Two Colombian women were supposedly nominated but neither deserved the prize IMO.

[Griffin NoName]

.......... although looking for the alleged nominees* I can't see many alternatives, more so when part of the idea is to influence policy.

If there isn't anyone surely they just don't award it?

I think it is premature.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

I think he got it too early, but I have to agree with Zono on both counts.


I also want to add this question: how will the award affect the rest of his term?
I saw a suggestion on another site (from a conservatard, but it still rang semi-true) that it was done to interfer with US policy. Like I said, it sort of has some truth to it, I think. Despite the fact I'm rather displeased with some of things he hasn't done, I think he's basically a good guy who will want to live up to the honor getting it holds.

[Swatopluk]

I think that it's another kick in the groin for Chain-Eye/Bush&Accomplices too.
I think Obama clearly has the potential to be a worthy Nobel laureate but the comittee should have waited at least another year.
Obama's remarks on the topic were exactly what I would have recommended: I do not deserve it (yet), so I have to work hard to earn it.
It was also clever to deflect it a bit from himself and unto the US as a whole for changing course.
The reactions from the right were totally predictable (remember that they demanded the same prize for Dubya).
Now please extradite Kissinger to the ICC!

[beagle]

.......... although looking for the alleged nominees* I can't see many alternatives, more so when part of the idea is to influence policy.

If there isn't anyone surely they just don't award it?

I think it is premature.

I'd have given in to Nicholas Winton (but that is voting for the home team).

(Looks around furtively for Darlica)
I don't think anyone takes the Peace/Economics prizes as seriously as the science ones.  There have been too many strange choices in the past.  Leaving aside the "Not being George Bush" prize for Obama there was the "Not quite being as bad as Dr Strangelove Peace prize" for Kissinger, which, as Tom Lehrer said, made satire impossible.

[Darlica]

Don't look at me that  way, the committee for the Nobel Peace Prize in stationed in Oslo, Norway and consists of Norwegians.

Personally I think this prize will do more harm than good, for both Obama and the Status of the Prize. He will have to live up to the prize and after all he is the commander in chief for a country that at the moment has two wars going on very far from their own home turf. i

I think 1999 years prize (at least I think it was 1999) to Médecins Sans Frontières is one of the best if not the best placed prize so far.

[beagle]

So Swedes and Norwegians are different? You learn something every day.

[Darlica]

So Swedes and Norwegians are different? You learn something every day.

No more different than the British and the Irish...

[beagle]

The important difference is they generally know which horse will win rather than which is heading towards next week's Kennomeat.

So why did Norway get the peace prize then? With his explosives knowledge Alf thought it better to have disgruntled overlooked world leaders retaliate next door?

[Darlica]

I don't have the slightest idea, but when Nobel lived and when the first Nobel Prizes where handed out Sweden and Norway was still in a union under one king.

[Griffin NoName]

So Swedes and Norwegians are different? You learn something every day.

No more different than the British and the Irish...

What is Clinton doing over here pronouncing on the Irish question?

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Griff-Link, please?

'K, ran across a good point on Obsidian Wings about him getting the Nobel. And yes, it IS because he ain't Bush.

Most commentators implicitly assume Obama won just for what he's done as president or what he promises to do in office. In fact, Obama earned the prize for waging a successful campaign to unseat a ruling party that rejected the rule of law at home and abroad. Remember how hard that was?

Much has been made of the fact that nominations for the prize closed in February, just after Obama was sworn in. Obama did take some of his boldest steps towards peace to date during his earliest days in office. One of his first acts was to order the closure of prison at Guantanamo Bay. That was an courageous act of profound national and international significance. He also quickly repudiated the Bush administration's torture policies and shut down its secret prisons

If the 2008 election happened in Africa or the Middle East it would seem obvious that an opposition leader who restored the rule of law and set about reintegrating his country into the family of nations would be racking up points towards a Nobel Peace Prize before he even took the oath of office.
...
To many American liberals it seems absurd that this record would merit a peace prize, but our perspective is different from that of the Nobel committee. We're evaluating Obama relative to our vision of a perfectly peaceful president. So, of course he comes up wanting.

The Nobel Peace Prize is all about celebrating nascent efforts and rewarding relative improvements. (They gave the Prize to the ICBL and there are still landmines all over the place!) We don't have to discount one perspective to appreciate the other.

The Nobel Committee's penchant for rewarding relative improvements makes sense as applied to other countries...

^ Trufax. They also mention the fact that Obama is treating the rest of the world like equals and not vassals. Though I don't like that he hasn't started releasing illegally held prisoners (except for the one UK guy I know of).

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Actually the argument (if that was indeed the argument) seems quite valid.

Not that he wouldn't get lots of critics for it. What else is new? Everybody criticizes him -and will keep doing it- anyway.

[Griffin NoName]

So Swedes and Norwegians are different? You learn something every day.

No more different than the British and the Irish...

What is Clinton doing over here pronouncing on the Irish question?

Griff-Link, please?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8301276.stm

"It will take the leaders of both communities working together to continue not only the devolution but then to make day-to-day governing a reality, and I'm confident that that is within reach."

That's the printed article.

I heard it on the news where it was put over slightly differently. The bulk of the article was missing and it appeared as - paraphrasing - "Clinton is over here and says the Ireland problem is almost solved" - it just sounded ridiculous.