Archive for October, 2009

As many of you know, Barack Obama has just been named the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. When I first heard about him winning Nobel’s Prize I was a bit cynical, but this was probably due to the source of my information. I, like some of you, thought Barack did not deserve the Peace award because he hasn’t done anything. I still don’t believe he deserves it, but neither does he. So why are people so mad at him?

Today I heard Glenn Beck talking about why Barack Obama winning the award was a sham. He was building a lot of his argument (atleast while I was listening) on the belief that Barack had only been in office for two weeks, so then, Obama winning the award was based on intent, not actual accomplishments. There was also an underlying assumption that because Barack Obama was picked within the first two weeks of his presidency, that there had to be some sort of foul play.

After looking at the Nobel Prize website, I don’t believe that Barack Obama was picked as the winner in February. Look at the nomination process for yourself, it’s not like they picked the winner back in February, they only stopped receiving submissions for candidacy.

September – Invitation letters are sent out.

February – Deadline for submission.

February-March – Short list. The short list is reviewed by permanent advisers and advisers specially recruited for their knowledge of specific candidates. The advisers do not directly evaluate nominations nor give explicit recommendations.

March-August – Adviser review.

October – Nobel Laureates are chosen.

December – Nobel Laureates receive their prize.

(image taken from the Noble Prize website)

From the above information one can clearly see that the advisers or reviewing panel is supposed to look at a candidate’s previous year and vote based on what they have seen the candidate do. I have not followed it closely, but apparently Obama is leading efforts on a nuclear weapon free world. Who else is doing as much as him on this one issue? And, I have to mention that bowing to foreign dignitaries does help “strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

I guess what I am trying to point out is that Obama hasn’t done a lot in regards to helping the economy, war in Afghanistan, or Guantanamo. But that is not what he got a Nobel PEACE award for. He got it for being peaceable. Does he deserve it? Not in my opinion. But he has it and I don’t believe the Nobel award looses credibility because of him winning.