LINKS:
2009 Nobel Peace Prize Citation Obama’s remarks: Christian Science Monitor “Common Misconceptions about the Nobel Peace Prize” “Gasps as Obama awarded Nobel Peace Prize” AP article by Ritter and Moore President Obama’s UN Speech
News of President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize energized me for the day. Hope is the word I would use to describe my reaction, hope for the possibility of change in the political climate of the world, and in this country. Hope for the common good becoming a guiding principle in policy and decisions.
In the citation awarding the prize (see link), the spokesperson for the Nobel Committee said Obama was chosen in part for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. He was also recognized for creating a new climate in international politics, and his call to those who listened to his U.N. speech in April (see link) that Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global problems.
Some people are saying that this is too early in Obamas presidency to award him such an honor. He hasnt done anything yet, they say. Others think the Nobel Committees choice cheapens the prize. It is usually given to a person who has achieved something concrete, they say. In an article by the Associated Press, Geir Lundestad, the secretary of the Nobel Committee, said that is not true, and that more often, it is given to encourage the recipient to continue their work, sometimes at critical moments. (see link: Common Misconceptions)
Surely, this is a critical moment at home and abroad. The issues we face are momentous: arms control, climate change, wars, terrorism, poverty, and genocide, to name some. As Obama has said, these challenges cannot be met by a single person or nation. They require the cooperation of all nations, of all peoples.
That is what I found hopeful about the Nobel Committees choice of President Obama. They have put the prestige and international stature of the prize behind Obamas efforts to rally leaders of nations and ordinary citizens to accept responsibility and become involved in making a difference in our world. The committee members see the promise in Obama’s vision. Awarding this prize to the one they see as the worlds leading spokesman(see link, Citation) for such an approach, sends a message to the world: This is possible. Let us put aside differences, see what binds us together, and move forward to bring peace and justice.
A surprised and humble Obama said as much when he spoke to reporters in the Rose Garden this morning: I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century Let me be clear, I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.
I send my congratulations to President Obama for engendering hope and providing leadership in the worldwide search for peace. My prayer is that people of this country and the world will be encouraged anew to work for peace in their hearts, their families, their cities. Peace is a bottom up endeavor. It ripples out from individual efforts no matter how small, and makes a difference. Such efforts, multiplied millions of times over, will be what enable Obama and world leaders to achieve this goal. In the end, they represent us and our commitment to justice and peace.
Neither detractors nor supporters of Obama and his policies can sit back and wait to see whether he succeeds or fails. That would be an abdication of responsibility. As the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committe, Thorbjoern Jangland, said, “If everything goes wrong, then one cannot say that this was because of Barack Obama. It could be that it is because of all of us, all the others, that did not respond.” (see link, Gasps…)
The possibility for the success of Obama’s call for cooperation and action based on shared human values lies not only in his hands and the hands those in positions of power, but also in the hearts of ordinary people in the United States and around the world who make known by word and action their desire for it.
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