Saturday, October 10, 2009

Nobel Peace Prize for Potential [update]

In case there was any dispute on the politicisation of the Nobel Peace Prize, Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. Let us take a moment to reflect on Obama's glorious efforts for peace.

1. Stability in Iraq
......um....... no, let us move on from that one.

2. The flight against terrorism
.....um
...........er.... should probably say something here........
The wars still drag on with no end or even promise of an end in sight, and there has been some sabre-rattling over Iran from his administration lately. So, can't find an example there, either.

3.The elimination of nuclear and germ weapons
........oh this is very hard.

Perhaps to qualify for a Nobel Peace Prize, all one has to do is not blow anything up for a year and you are best pals with Gandhi.

What a cheap prize this is. Obama took office less than two weeks before the 1 February nomination deadlines, and, despite that not being reason enough to disqualify him, he has not made the kind of exceptional effort that something with the prestige of the Nobel ought to reward.

The Nobel Committee Chairman, Thorbjoern Jagland, has responded to the criticism:
If you look at the history of the Peace Prize, we have on many occasions given it to try to enhance what many personalities were trying to do.
Before he took office, the situation was so dangerous.  Step by step, he has given the message to the world that he wants to negotiate on all conflicts, strengthen the UN, and work for a world without any nuclear arms.

And so far, he has achieved.......... actually, if the purpose of the Prize is to talk, he has achieved a lot.

Perhaps there were no other obvious candidates?  Except, maybe, Zimbabwe "Prime Minister" Morgan Tsvangirai, jailed Chinese dissident Hu Jia, the Afghan women's rights activist Sima Samar.......Take Jagland's  justification for why Obama won the prize, and it is easy to apply the same principles to these people (with some words changed, obviously) and reach a different conclusion to Obama as winner.

Initially I was puzzled that Obama didn't also win the Nobel Prize for Literature.  But then I remembered: he's written two books.

All my favourite bloggers have blogged well on this, but my award goes to Oswald Bastable

3 comments:

Sus said...

"Perhaps to qualify for a Nobel Peace Prize, all one has to do is not blow anything up for a year and you are best pals with Gandhi.

Or be the latest black success story. Or 'non-white' one, if you prefer.

And oppose George Bush.

New Tuis ad: The Nobel Peace Prize is apolitical.

Lucy said...

He has done something OP you have forgotten.
You are not allowed to call terrorists, terrorists anymore. They are simply criminals. I know cause Obami said so.
So you see he has 'done away' with terrorists.

brian_smaller said...

Lucy - you are wrong. You cannot call them criminals either. They are 'overseas contingency operators'.