As I woke up to a bevy of emails reporting that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize, I was as surprised as anyone. (I'll explain my reasons in a moment). But what has surprised me more is the quickly-emerging discourse across the web that he doesn't deserve the award. And it was that discourse that I seek to address here.
I had not even considered him in connection with the peace prize before, most of my surprise was simply that sheer unexpectedness of it. And certainly there are reasonable questions about whether someone else is more deserving of it at the moment (I have not read yet of other candidates, but surely there are some worthy ones). But let's not make this about Obama's ego: He didn't ask for this. He didn't lobby for it. It was bestowed upon him. While it's certainly hopeful he will be more deserving of it in a few years time, I don't think we should conclude on that basis that he is not worthy now.
It is hard to deny that Obama has already (already? He has been in the world spotlight for at least a couple years now...) had a material impact on the world. But has he brought about peace? Of course not. It is certainly hard to reconcile the idea of the leader of a country currently occupying 2 other nations winning a prize in recognition of peace efforts. And of course there's the obvious retort that he didn't start those wars and was elected in part for his determination to end them responsibly (if not quickly).
But what Obama has done is to radically change the world's perception of the possibility of peace. After the last 8 years of Bush's perpetual War on Terror, Amercan's have been invested in the idea that their safety necessitated the continued conflict in the world. What is amazing is that Obama has already shifted the discourse of world events toward his own branded Hope. This is at once simple, eloquent, and profound. The material presence of conflict in the world is not something anyone could reasonable suggest will dissapear in the near future, but Obama has decidedly rejuvenate the idea that it could once again come about.
I fear that liberals are handing conservatives a rhetorical character attack against Obama by conceding he did not deserve this award. In my mind, he did. That doesn't make it any less surprising, but I think the possibility of peace is worth fighting for.
Obama has renewed this jaded liberal's hope for that day. Haven't you as well?
2 comments:
I'm just not sure it's that honest of a committee whose pedigree has been to give the award based on a person's achievements to now bestow it upon somebody for what they some day might achieve. Okay, so Obama has potential, but let's wait until that bears fruit.
But that's exact my point, He has changed the world already. He's managed to lead a country with a history of worldwide warmongering into a symbol of hope and unity. He's reopened the possibility of peace, which is not the same as simply saying "he might someday establish peace, but hasn't yet and therefore doesn't deserve the award."
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