I just read the speech Obama gave when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize and I am impressed. I am definitely one of the millions of people in the world who asked, “Why the hell did Obama win this? He hasn’t really done anything to deserve it yet.” But this speech allowed me to really see that while he might not deserve it now, President Obama is definitely capable of reaching that point.
First, I was struck at how humble he was. I’m not necessarily surprised, but he definitely had the opportunity to boast a bit or to act as though he deserved the prize at this point. He begins his speech right away with “I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility” and recognizes that the decision was controversial because he is at the beginning instead of the end of his endeavors. He recognizes that there are other people who are probably more worthy at this time. But he knows that because he was given this honor that he must stand for something in the world and that he must live up to it.
He also recognizes that he is in an odd position because he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize while he is commander in chief of a nation that is currently fighting in two wars. In light of this, Obama explains that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds. “To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.” He outlined three ways to build lasting peace in the world.
- We must find a better way to deal with nations that break or ignore rules and laws. “Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable. Sanctions must exact a real price.”
- Peace is “not merely the absence of visible conflict.” The world needs to seek a just peace based on inherent human rights.
- Peace should be based not only on rights, but also on economic security and opportunity. “True peace is not just freedom from fear, but freedom from want.”
I think that Obama is being very practical here. He knows that peace is not just a cease fire. I also think that the committee who chose him understands this too and that is why they chose him. While he has not exactly created peace in the world, Obama has the capacity to be a great leader on key issues (nuclear proliferation, disarmament, etc.) that will affect the world.
I agree with Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel prize committee, when he said, “Obama has the audacity of hope and the tenacity to make these hopes come true.”
