Alfred Nobel, the person who invented dynamite, set up the Nobel Peace Prize.
On Thursday, Barack Obama received the Peace Prize. The reason given was: for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.
The American right-wing, with spokespeople Hannity and Limbaugh front and forward, argue that he did not deserve the prize.
Let’s assume he didn’t for moment. What should he have done? Not accepted it? It’s ludicrous for us to blame Obama for the award, as if he had done it for himself. The fact is, a panel in Norway made the decision. It’s not an American decision, and it’s not an American choice.
This award shows that the international community sees a positive change in American policy after 8 years of jingoism. The jingoists may not like it, but the Norwegians get to express their opinion, and that’s what they did. And whether we like it or not, Obama is joining an exclusive list of names, including
- Woodrow Wilson
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Martin Luther King
- Nelson Mandela
- George Marshall
- Willy Brandt
- Andrei Sakharov
- Mother Teresa
- Lech Walesa
- Elie Wiesel
- Mikhail Gorbachev
- Jimmy Carter
- Al Gore
We may not agree with the panel’s decision, but as a nation we should be proud that our president won this honor. His acceptance speech was humble and appropriate.