The 2009 Nobel Peace Farce

This year's Nobel peace prize was awarded to Barack Obama, President of the United States. My initial reaction to the news was a mixture of surprise and disbelief. Though I admire the present president of the United States, it nevertheless set me wondering as to what exactly is intended by awarding the Nobel prize to him.

To be sure, the mandate of the Nobel committee is that the peace prize can be awarded to people who promote international peace. Barack Obama was nominated (atmost) within 11 days of being sworn in as the President of the United States, and has been in office for only around eight months. He had precious little time to achieve much in the arena of international peace, whether it be Israel-Palestine, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan-Pakistan, nuclear disarmament or global warming. A lot is expected of him in the coming years; in fact some people say that this prize has been awarded to him so that he will deliver on these areas. This is like awarding a gold medal to an athlete so that he can win the Olympic event.

We need to give time to the U.S. President so that he can deliver on his promises. As the leader of the world's most powerful country, a lot is expected of Barack Obama. But his intentions must be followed by concrete action in all the major areas of the international multilateral order. Only then can history pronounce a judgment as to whether his Presidency was a success or failure.

No doubt, in the past also, the Nobel committee has made decisions that are biased or politically motivated. This has been most obvious in the peace prize, though it has been subtle in the other fields also. Even Mahatma Gandhi was never awarded a Nobel peace prize (though he was nominated five times). Over the years, the Nobel prize has been steadily devalued. But in today's world, everybody is alert. Therefore Barack Obama's selection has raised eyebrows and left many people fuming. In my opinion, this award will damage Obama's credibility in the long run. I think that the best way would be for him to turn down the award; but that may be wishful thinking.

To know and not to act on what you know is equal to not knowing. Let us hope that Barack Obama does not rest on his nobel laurels but strives to achieve international peace.