09-10-2009, 06:12 PM
Magda Hassan Wrote:...
US President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
...
Asked why the prize had been awarded to Mr Obama less than a year after he took office, Nobel committee head Thorbjoern Jagland said: "It was because we would like to support what he is trying to achieve".
"It is a clear signal that we want to advocate the same as he has done," he said.
He specifically mentioned Mr Obama's work to strengthen international institutions and work towards a world free of nuclear arms.
I used to have respect for the Nobel Peace Prize. This disgrace put an end to that.
The Nobel Committee has, however, made it very clear that the award is intended to nudge Obama forward. While I'm puzzled by the logic of giving awards for future "accomplishments" (if they'll give me the Wimbledon trophy I promise I'll learn tennis) I suppose it's possible that it could be a useful tool to shame Obama when he inevitably does nothing good. Is it possible that the Nobel Committee is intending to use this as leverage of that kind? If so is the strategy clever or inane?
Whatever. I'm tired of living in bizarro world.