This is straying away from the theme of this blog, but I felt that it really has to be mentioned.

Does President Barack Obama deserve the Nobel Peace Prize?

According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize should be awarded “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” His will stated that the prize should be awarded by a committee of five people elected by the Norwegian Parliament. Thus, it is the only Nobel Prize not awarded in Sweden.

The definition of peace covers a lot of ground, according to the stipulations in Nobel’s will, and over the years, it has been awarded to “heavy weights” like the Dalai Lama and Jean Henry Dunant, found of the International Red Cross. It has also been awarded to dubious individuals like Woodrow Wilson, who dragged the US into WW I for no apparent reason other than a stab at imperialism (and many historians feel that the entry of the US into the war sufficiently tipped the balance, dragged the war on for an extra year, and set up the circumstances which eventually led to WW II), and Henry Kissinger–probably one of the most evil creatures to inhabit the 20the century.

Fortunately, the names of the people and organizations who have received this award have for the most part, been deserving. Mother Theresa, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Jane Addams, Amnesty International, Aung San Suu Kyi, Martin Luther King, Jr, etc. You can see the full list here, along with the reason for the award.

So to this illustrious list, the name of Barack Obama is added. As much as I like Obama, this move seems a little too premature, especially considering the accomplishments of the other candidates. Maybe after a year or 2 in office, when real progress has been made, would have been a better time. Right now, the award seems based on hope–that the Bush/Cheney era is finally over and things will change for the better. So far there’s talk, but not much action. But at least the US is being seen in a better light, and we are once again taking our rightful place on the world stage.