American President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, less than a year into his presidential mandate.
Granted, President Obama has some innovative ideas, was the first black person to ever lead the States, and has inspired greatness in others the world over.
But President Obama hasn’t been in office long enough to garner success – or failure – in implementing those
And there is more to that honor than just a piece of paper with his name on it – the Nobel Peace Prize comes with a medal, a diploma and a nice chunk of coin -- $1.5USD million to be exact.
As of this writing, President Obama hasn’t said what he intends to do with the prize money, which could prove quite the challenge in light of what the Nobel Peace Prize represents.
The founder of the Nobel Peace Prize, Alfred Nobel, described the whole thing nicely in his last will and testament, saying the award should go to whoever: “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congress.”
President Obama is leading a country involved in two wars – Afghanistan and Iraq. And a third war is potentially brewing between America and North Korea over the North Korean government’s constant threat of developing and testing nuclear missiles.
Whenever the American leader has gone abroad on his worldly trips, he has talked about peace, and opening up relations between nations – especially between his nation and others around the globe. Though this is a given, you don’t go into someone’s home, push them up against a wall holding a knife to their neck and telling them how things are going to shake down.
Well, maybe you would do that, if you were President George W. Bush . . . but seriously, when a country’s leader goes to another nation, their first order of business is always to maintain or foster good relations with the hosting nati
That’s just good politics.
Though it is even more important in President Obama’s international politics, because his predecessor managed to alienate, offend, and create large rifts between America and other nations.
And speaking of rifts between nations, although President Obama didn’t instigate the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq – he hasn’t exactly gone out of his way to immediately attempt a peaceful resolution to either of these war zones either.
Why is it then, that he won the Nobel Peace Prize?
The prize committee claims President Obama’s extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy between nations, as the reason.
However, has President Obama really accomplished this?
He hasn’t ended any wars. He did close down the American military prison in Guantanamo Bay, which was known for its inhumane treatment of inmates – but that hardly counts as strengthening international diplomacy between nations.
President Obama hasn’t brought peace to the Middle East – though truthfully, both sides in that long battle are so diametrically opposed to each other philosophically, socially, spiritually, politically and economically, there will never be peace in that region of the world.
Instead, President Obama continues to send troops to Afghanistan and Iraq to police those nations, instead of sending in diplomats and working to end the violence while bringing about peace.
President Obama has clearly threatened North Korea with possible military action if they continue to develop and test nuclear weapons.
And for a man supposedly so peaceful, he’s got his own army protecting him from the dangerous world in which we live. His motorcade consists not only of an alternative duplicate of him and his armored limo (nicknamed “the beast”), but high tech armored vehicles, which block cell phone signals in the area as he passes. When he came to Canada, they had snipers on rooftops all along his route from the airport to Parliament Hill in Ottawa. They even ordered people whose high-rise apartments and condos draped the route, not to go out on their balconies, or else they would be shot – even if all they wanted to do was to sneak a peek at the American president.
Surely a man of peace should have nothing to fear, and not need the protection of an armed motorcade?
Though that in of itself may be the real reason the Nobel Peace Prize Committee bestowed such an honor on this man.
Being the first black American president, and being as outspoken and radically different from past American presidents puts President Obama at a greater risk of life and limb than his predecessors.
Perhaps the Nobel Peace Prize Committee wanted to give President Obama the award before any attempts were made on the president’s life?
Although the American leader talks about peace, he hasn’t done anything to justify such a prestigious award. And that taints the reputation of the award, the prize committee which decides who receives the award, and far worse – lessens the chances that future world leaders will really work towards peace.
Granted, President Obama has some innovative ideas, was the first black person to ever lead the States, and has inspired greatness in others the world over.
But President Obama hasn’t been in office long enough to garner success – or failure – in implementing those
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
And there is more to that honor than just a piece of paper with his name on it – the Nobel Peace Prize comes with a medal, a diploma and a nice chunk of coin -- $1.5USD million to be exact.
Image via Wikipedia
As of this writing, President Obama hasn’t said what he intends to do with the prize money, which could prove quite the challenge in light of what the Nobel Peace Prize represents.
The founder of the Nobel Peace Prize, Alfred Nobel, described the whole thing nicely in his last will and testament, saying the award should go to whoever: “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congress.”
President Obama is leading a country involved in two wars – Afghanistan and Iraq. And a third war is potentially brewing between America and North Korea over the North Korean government’s constant threat of developing and testing nuclear missiles.
Whenever the American leader has gone abroad on his worldly trips, he has talked about peace, and opening up relations between nations – especially between his nation and others around the globe. Though this is a given, you don’t go into someone’s home, push them up against a wall holding a knife to their neck and telling them how things are going to shake down.
Well, maybe you would do that, if you were President George W. Bush . . . but seriously, when a country’s leader goes to another nation, their first order of business is always to maintain or foster good relations with the hosting nati
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
That’s just good politics.
Though it is even more important in President Obama’s international politics, because his predecessor managed to alienate, offend, and create large rifts between America and other nations.
And speaking of rifts between nations, although President Obama didn’t instigate the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq – he hasn’t exactly gone out of his way to immediately attempt a peaceful resolution to either of these war zones either.
Why is it then, that he won the Nobel Peace Prize?
The prize committee claims President Obama’s extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy between nations, as the reason.
However, has President Obama really accomplished this?
He hasn’t ended any wars. He did close down the American military prison in Guantanamo Bay, which was known for its inhumane treatment of inmates – but that hardly counts as strengthening international diplomacy between nations.
President Obama hasn’t brought peace to the Middle East – though truthfully, both sides in that long battle are so diametrically opposed to each other philosophically, socially, spiritually, politically and economically, there will never be peace in that region of the world.
Instead, President Obama continues to send troops to Afghanistan and Iraq to police those nations, instead of sending in diplomats and working to end the violence while bringing about peace.
President Obama has clearly threatened North Korea with possible military action if they continue to develop and test nuclear weapons.
And for a man supposedly so peaceful, he’s got his own army protecting him from the dangerous world in which we live. His motorcade consists not only of an alternative duplicate of him and his armored limo (nicknamed “the beast”), but high tech armored vehicles, which block cell phone signals in the area as he passes. When he came to Canada, they had snipers on rooftops all along his route from the airport to Parliament Hill in Ottawa. They even ordered people whose high-rise apartments and condos draped the route, not to go out on their balconies, or else they would be shot – even if all they wanted to do was to sneak a peek at the American president.
Surely a man of peace should have nothing to fear, and not need the protection of an armed motorcade?
Though that in of itself may be the real reason the Nobel Peace Prize Committee bestowed such an honor on this man.
Being the first black American president, and being as outspoken and radically different from past American presidents puts President Obama at a greater risk of life and limb than his predecessors.
Perhaps the Nobel Peace Prize Committee wanted to give President Obama the award before any attempts were made on the president’s life?
Although the American leader talks about peace, he hasn’t done anything to justify such a prestigious award. And that taints the reputation of the award, the prize committee which decides who receives the award, and far worse – lessens the chances that future world leaders will really work towards peace.
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