Why Obama Deserves His Nobel

Commentators on the hawkish right are furious that Barack Obama can win a Nobel Peace Prize only eight months into his presidency.

The same commentators were quite comfortable in blaming the 2008 economic meltdown on Obama even though he hadn't taken office yet. And only a month into his presidency, they were quite convinced that Obama had scuttled the American economy beyond repair.

But when it comes to his re-establishing a spirit of international cooperation, they say October 2009 is too early a moment to assess whether he is being successful.

Can we all just agree that they hate Obama in an irrational way? It's similar to how they are asking that George Bush be given a generation before we assess his body of work, while they feel that there's no time to be lost in magnifying any mistakes on Obama's part.

I asked a friend today, a conservative Protestant pastor, if he's as delighted to see a devout Christian president of our nation being honored by the international community as he was to see America lose an Olympics bid a week ago. He hemmed and hawed and attempted to minimize how tickled he and his friends were to see that Obama couldn't cast a spell over Copenhagen in last week's Olympics voting. Yet another Scandinavian setting has now weighed in directly on Obama, and has stated that the world really does love him after all, because of what he is seeking to do for the world.

This reminds the hawks of the far right of why they hate this rotten, no-good world, even the parts occupied by allies. They are unspeakably bitter about how the detested "global apology tour" would result in such powerful recognition.

As such, there's really no point in listening to the far right bloviate about who should win a Nobel Peace Prize. Their dismissal of Obama's "apologies" shows they do not value global reconciliation or peace in the first place -- they merely value bluster that they naively think will snap the rest of the world into line.

As for the Nobel folks, they certainly could have waited a few years to honor Obama, and could have hung their honor on some more tangible achievements.

But what truly deserving champion of peace did they slight this year in the process? None to my knowledge. Many past recipients and current contenders have been humanitarians and martyrs, not actual peace-advancers.

They are free to use their award to honor someone who symbolizes their goals on the global stage. They have done so. And as Americans, we can be proud.

Follow Rob Asghar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rasghar

Comments

[Rob Asghar - Huffpost Blogger]

Viper, it's obviously wrong for anyone from either party to accuse the other of disloyalty. That said, a lot of us who opposed the Iraq war got called out constantly for giving comfort to the enemy by not getting behind our president. Some people are within their rights to ask Obama-bashers and birthers why their standards have shifted, and why they now are cheering for their president to fail in his efforts to bring us an Olympics or to win global acclaim. Does that make sense...?

[Tim Chambers]

I like this post from Josh Marshall: in essence the Nobel prize was for America turning a key corner...and encouraging us to keep it going:

"...the unmistakable message of the award is one of the consequences of a period in which the most powerful country in the world, the 'hyper-power' as the French have it, became the focus of destabilization and in real if limited ways lawlessness. A harsh judgment, yes. But a dark period. And Obama has begun, if fitfully and very imperfectly to many of his supporters, to steer the ship of state in a different direction. If that seems like a meager accomplishment to many of the usual Washington types it's a profound reflection of their own enablement of the Bush era and how compromised they are by it, how much they perpetuated the belief that it was 'normal history' rather than dark aberration."

[Rob Asghar - Huffpost Blogger]

Tim, I agree with you and him very strongly!

[Cafe huh]

I consider that America just went from a war mongering President to one who just won the Noble Peace Prize. I think they're doing pretty good.

[Tim Chambers]

I liked the State Departments comment: "Certainly from our standpoint, this gives us a sense of momentum -- when the United States has accolades tossed its way, rather than shoes."

[rockyersocksoff]

NeoCons simply hate the Peace Prize because War is their preferred genre of pornography.

[wm1066]

It wasn't Stockholm that "weighed in on Obama" it was Oslo. The Nobel Peace prize is picked in Norway not Stockholm and the presentation is in Oslo. Its confusing. But I would hazard a guess that Stockhom likes Obama as much as Oslo.

[Rob Asghar - Huffpost Blogger]

You're right, I got my Scandinavianisms all upside down! I adjusted my post accordingly.

[Cantinflas]

"Yet Stockholm has now weighed in directly on Obama"

A small point, but isn't the Peace Prize decided by Norwegians (Oslo), not Swedes (Stockholm)?

[Rob Asghar - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks much for that catch, Cantinflas!

[wanttruth]

Good column!

[LynnAZ]

part 2 - a few more nominees:

- Hu Jia, a human rights activist and an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, who was sentenced last year to a three-and-­a-half-yea­r prison term for 'inciting subversion of state power.'- Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China's communist system.

- Rebiya Kadeer, who leads the Uighurs in exile while 2 of her 11 children are imprisoned. The Chinese Communist government has engaged in a deliberate and often brutal campaign to suppress their language, culture, and religion (Islam).

I look forward to your follow-up post in which you explain what tangible results Obama accomplished in his first 9 months in office that surpass the contributions of these individuals.

[Rob Asghar - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks, Lynn. The NYT ran a nice piece about the issue this afternoon here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/world/10oslo.html?ref=politics

In short, the Nobel people were keenly aware that there is a difference between being a martyr/idealist and being someone who actually advances the cause of reconciliation between nations. They believed the award has in recent decades tended to honor impressive acts of idealism and suffering but has not necessarily honored people who have improved the climate for dialogue. As the article notes, the committee (and a bumpkin such as I believe Obama has indeed improved that climate, and they have sought to honor it in the proper way.

[LynnAZ]

Despite the title, you failed to give any reason why Obama deserves the NPP. Contrary to your thesis, conservatives are not furious at Obama. Those who question what he has done to deserve it (considering the nomination deadline was 11 days into his presidency), are furious at NPP Committee. Although furious isn't really the right word...try incredulous, perplexed, shocked.

As for no "truly deserving champion of peace" was slighted by this year's awarding of the 'Thank God You're Not Bush Award", how about these nominees?

- Sima Samar, women's rights activist in Afghanistan: "At great personal risk, she kept her schools and clinics open in Afghanistan even during the most repressive days of the Taliban regime, whose laws prohibited the education of girls past the age of eight. When the Taliban fell, Samar returned to Kabul as Minister for Women's Affairs."

- Dr. Denis Mukwege: " Doctor, founder and head of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. He has dedicated his life to helping Congolese women and girls who are victims of gang rape and brutal sexual violence."

- Handicap International and Cluster Munition Coalition: "Recognized for their consistently serious efforts to clean up cluster bombs, also known as land mines."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rob-asghar/why-obama-deserves-his-no_b_315986.html

[viper234]

LynnAZ, you make a very strong case as to why many Americans do not feel the President deserved the Nobel. I voted for Obama but I simply find the reason for his receiving the Nobel to be hollow, even more so when compared to the accomplishments of the nominees you cited above. Sure it's the NPP's decision with respect to who gets the prize but that doesn't mean their decision always makes sense or is "the best decision." People have right to voice their opinion about this and not be accused of being Obama-hating neo-cons, anti-American or some kind of loony, fringe tr0//s. The instant "pile-on" by those who refuse to hear an opposing point of view is censorship of the worst kind and makes me wonder just how far this country has actually come since the Bush administration led this country to the brink of tyranny. If people can not disagree in this country without being cast as "disloyal Americans," then there is a pathology of intolerance in our culture that's more deep seeded than I ever imagined it would be in the 21st century, and at this level of intensity, it will surely tear us apart.