NBR: Someone explain to me

Mrs.LLG

What Obama has done to deserve to win the Nobel Peace Prize? I mean he is all of 8 months into his presidency.?

ECUGirl2004

I'm pro-Obama, but I was very surprised by this as well.

Here's what they said on NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113649365

Obama won the prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced, saying it had "attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons."

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Committee said. "In the past year Obama has been a key person for important initiatives in the U.N. for nuclear disarmament and to set a completely new agenda for the Muslim world and East-West relations."

He added that the committee endorsed "Obama's appeal that 'Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.'"

Sorry, I keep editing... but what's really odd/interesting about this is that the nominations were due months ago, when Obama had just been inaugurated.  I personally think a Nobel Peace prize should be based on history not on hope, but I'm not on the committee that votes. 

raceyrae

I'm all for Obama also but feel this was a bit too early.  I'm not sure what exactly he's done so far that warrants this right now but talking with my DH, it sounds like some of it could be based on his work related to nuclear weapons and Russia, among other things.  I think this will just result in more negative press from his opponents because he got it too early. 

ECUGirl2004

That's really interesting, Lee!

7miles

Isn't it extraordinary?  I'm hoping I win next year so long as I don't tell any other countries to go f*ck themselves too! 

Haha, don't get me wrong, I drink the Obama koolaid and all that good stuff, but the only reason they gave him the Nobel is because he's not Bush IMO.

 

raceyrae

Lee -- I've seen other articles too on the internet (news articles) that reference the NPP being based on potential.  An interesting approach that I hadn't realize could be the case.  Although I still think it's way to premature for him to get it.

7miles

Lee, d*mn is that a good C&P. ?While I still think it was too soon and I feel for the people that achieved something already, that C&P made me realize the history behing the prize. ?In an email I got from Obama today (pretty sure only sent to me) he said:

"To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize --?men and womenwho've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace. (*swoon)

But I also know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes."