Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize

The news that President Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize didn’t really register in my mind at first. I guess I was kind of dazed for a while. Then confused. And finally, unsure how to feel.

I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one to react like this. The entire world has been tittering about how to react to his winning the award. But the five Norwegians on the Nobel judging committee decide who receives this honor. And apparently, Obama deserved it.

But according to the rest of us, did he?

Since the election, I have been a fan of Obama. And while he has made some decisions I may not agree with, I think of him as an overall good president. He’s been working hard to carry the United States out of its recession while also travelling the world to work out foreign conflict. Oh and don’t forget about the issue of healthcare (for an article about the healthcare plan Obama is promoting, click here).

Some say he’s moving too slowly and ignoring other issues (like gay rights) but considering these factors and the weight of other issues, I’d say he’s doing pretty well.

That being said, I’m not sure he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.

Alfred Nobel made up the five famous Nobel prizes in his will. According to the will, the prizes are presented to people who “have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” The person to receive the peace prize has “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.”

The general response to this definition is, “What has Obama done that qualifies him for the prize?” He has, in fact, done some of each.

Working for the fraternity of nations? He has gone to the Middle East to make speeches about the need for Muslims and Jews to work together and resolve their problems.
Working for abolition of standing armies? A less-known fact among all of the healthcare drama, Obama has actively been trying to cut the number of nuclear weapons in the world. According to CNN, he has encouraged all nations with nuclear weapons to reduce their stocks in the next four years.
Promoting peace congresses? The Middle East also counts in this category.
So he has been exhibiting characteristics that would qualify him for the Nobel Prize.

But I can’t agree that he has fulfilled them.
President Obama has been in office less than a year. True, he has done much to help the nation and the world along in its hardships. True, he is working on a number of issues that could qualify him for the award. But it’s still way too early.

Especially when there are so many other qualified individuals who have been working hard for the betterment of the world for a longer period of time.

Take Dr. Denis Mukwege, founder of the Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. The Panzi Hospital, opened in 1999, services women, including rape victims. Dr. Mukwege cares for about 10 rape victims a day, a majority of whom are victims of gang rape. But Mukwege didn’t just work for the last 10 years trying to help women in the Congo. In 1989, he created an OB/GYN ward in the Hospital of Lemera, until it was destroyed in the Congo’s first civil war. His dedication to these women is evident.

I think the biggest point here is that Obama is still figuring things out. And nothing truly substantial has been put in place. He has been promoting talks between Jews and Muslims, but how effective have his speeches in Egypt and Israel been? I’m not saying one man can’t change the world. Osama bin Laden is living proof of the truth in that statement””even though he changed the world for the worse, he definitely shook it up. And I’m not saying Obama is doing a poor job as president. He’s been making fair progress since he entered office. But it’s just too early to give out an award for qualifications that haven’t been satisfied yet.