Last Friday, everyone learned the shocking news that President Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize. However, this news has not been greeted with mass ecstasy by the American people. I myself find Obama’s winning of the award a bit … awkward.
For me, one fact stands out: The nomination deadline for the Nobel Peace Prize this year was Feb. 1, 11 days after Obama’s inauguration. Apparently, someone got a little caught up in the “Change We Can Believe In” campaign and decided to nominate Obama before he even really had time to get comfortable in his new role as president.
The president certainly has lofty aspirations when it comes to global peace. He hopes to build multilateralism in the world, which is obviously a nice breath of fresh air compared to the previous administration’s more unilateral approach to global issues. Additionally, Obama hopes to reduce the stock of nuclear weapons in the world, telling a European crowd in April the United States has a “moral responsibility” to help along the process of nuclear disarmament. Obama has also reached out to the Muslim world, and he actually admits global warming is a pressing issue.
Now, I see merit in every one of these great ideas. However, they are only ideas; where are the actions needed to solve these problems? True, Obama has made great efforts to strengthen ties with Europe and the Middle East, but is doing this really enough to win the Nobel Peace Prize? If you look at the resumes of past winners, Obama’s simply does not stack up … yet.
Obama’s winning of the Nobel Peace Prize is further complicated by the fact that his administration is seriously debating on whether or not to send more troops to Afghanistan. If the administration does decide to step up the war, Obama’s win will become pretty ironic. Also, garnering this prestigious award does not suddenly increase Obama’s ability to solve the various domestic issues our country faces, namely health care and the economy.
It is obvious Obama received the peace prize because of what the committee thinks he is capable of doing. However, I’m not sure capability is the strongest basis on which to decide the recipient of the award. This is probably why so many people are uncomfortable with Obama winning; since he has won without doing anything overly impressive, it calls into question the judgment of the selection committee and the legitimacy of the Nobel Peace Prize itself.
Don’t get me wrong: I find it incredibly exciting our sitting president has been honored in such a prestigious manner. However, the Obama-haters are under the impression Obama’s triumph results merely from the fact that he is not George W. Bush, and they have a point. The international community (and many Americans) was ecstatic when Bush’s second term was complete, and the selection of Obama as the Nobel Peace Prize winner seems to be just another example of post-Bush euphoria.
It is definitely possible Obama will do something great enough in the future to substantiate his winning of the prize. Still, I find the timing of this award extremely awkward, and it is this awkward timing that has left many people, Obama fans and haters alike, more than a little confused.
—Aimee Sobhani is a junior in the College of Arts and Science. She can be reached at aimee.f.sobhani@vanderbilt.edu.
