 "Photo: N/A")
Last week, President Obama received the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Since the announcement, there has been a whirlwind of attitudes and opinions questioning the validity of the committee’s choice recipient.
Last spring, Arizona State University denied President Obama an honorary degree though he delivered the commencement address at their institution. His “body of work is yet to come. That’s why we’re not recognizing him with a degree at the beginning of his presidency,” said an ASU spokesperson.
Despite whether people agree with their decision, a prestigious institution does not even deem Obama worthy of a notarized piece of paper let alone an internationally sought after Nobel Peace Prize.
The award announcement came to as a shock to many, including the President. According to CNN.com, Obama was “surprised and deeply humbled” and “accepts the award as a call to action.”
“This year’s Peace Prize nominees included 172 people and 33 organizations, the highest number of nominations ever. Nominees included a female Afghan doctor who is outspoken for women’s rights and has been threatened for questioning Sharia law. Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was also on the list, as was a Colombian politician who helped secure the release of 16 hostages and was kidnapped herself ten years ago,” as reported by Fox News.
Given all the admirable humanitarian work done by other honorable nominees as above, the question remains-- what has President Obama done?
Obama, nominated two weeks before the nomination deadline, only served as President for a few weeks; however, by that time, he succeeded to mend and nurse the wound of a healing nation. His fight for courage, diversity, change, and building impactful interpersonal relationships domestic and abroad molded the foundation of his presidential campaign and set the tone for his term in office and appointing his administration.
On Nov. 4, 2008, Obama set the standard and surpassed a milestone that titled him the first African-American president of the United States. He won 53 percent of the vote and voter turnouts were the highest in 40 years.
On Aug. 6, 2009, Obama appointed the nation’s first Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Cnn.com reported that “Obama remains extraordinarily popular overseas, particularly in Western Europe. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that more than three-quarters of respondents in Britain, Germany, France and Spain approve of Obama’s foreign policy.”
Political analysts and supporters speculate that the esteem associated with this award gives Obama and his administration vigor and public global support to ensure that their visions of world peace and diplomacy continue to materialize and excel beyond our expectations.
Wangari Muta Maathai, winner of the 2004 Peace Prize, said, “It will be even greater inspiration for the world. He has shown how we can probably come together, work together in a cooperative way.”
First was Theodore Roosevelt and then Woodrow Wilson and now President Obama is the third American President to receive the award concurrently serving a term. He is also the third African-American to be bestowed this honor along with Ralph Bunche and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to individuals and organizations that show promise of dedication and strategic planning to combat the human errors of this world. No, they are not perfect. They do not have comic superpowers nor are they God. But they do have a desire to stand for progressive change and the passion not to wait on others to see it get done.
The Nobel Prize Committee may have awarded Obama early on in his presidential tenure, but it does not discredit the swift strides this man is taking to revamp the United States, our political and social standing internationally and the progression of mutually beneficial relationships amongst other countries.
2 comments
among many who were elligible because of what they Have done.Ohio, USA