Barack Obama Wins The Nobel Peace Prize: Too Soon?

Obama Rock Star

Before winning the Nobel peace prize, Barack Obama already enjoyed some sort of rockstardom outside the U.S.A., especially in Europe among the younger generations. But today it’s official. Obama is really loved and people all over the world appreciate his efforts or at least want to support him in his effort towards a more peaceful world. Why?

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• Maybe in part Barack Obama benefits from the fact that George Bush gathered a lot of hate all over the world due to his war on terror antics.

• Maybe because Obama represents all that makes the U.S. a great nation while Bush represented all that’s bad in the U.S.

• Maybe because he’s black and people recognize some sort of fairness that after the gun-blazing, conservative bullying, fanatic shouting of the last few years,  a black president would be the right amount of defiance to drive the rednecks crazy – even more than a woman for president. And that’s always a fun thing to watch, indeed.

But who cares? They’re just some crazy Norwegian,… uh.. Swede… aaaah who cares!!!

Well, you can shake it as much as you want, but it’s not going away. Obama won the Nobel prize for Peace. Period. And if you have doubts about its significance here are some facts:

• Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist and industrialist (inventor of the dynamite) that died on 1896 and that, on his will, left instructions to create a fund with his estate to establish and endow the five Nobel Prizes.

• Every year , since 1901, the Nobel Prize Comittee awards people who have made outstanding contributions in Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Physiology or Medicine; all of the prizes are considered the most prestigious on their field. The Nobel Peace Prize represents social recognition and is sometimes politically controversial.

• Since 1901, 318 U.S. citizens have been awarded Nobel Prizes, 22 of which were the Nobel Peace Prize, being Barack Obama the latest.

• According to Alfred Nobel the Peace Prize sould 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.”.

Theodore Roosevelt was the first american to receive a Nobel Prize – the Nobel Peace Prize. He was followed by:

• Elihu Root
• Woodrow Wilson
• Charles G. Dawes
• Frank B. Kellogg
• Nicholas M. Butler
• Jane Addams
• Cordell Hull
• John R. Mott
• Emily G. Balch
• American Friends Service Committee (The Quakers)
• Ralph J. Bunche
• George C. Marshall
• Linus C. Pauling
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Norman Borlaug
• Henry Kissinger
• Elie Wiesel
• Jody Williams
• Jimmy Carter
• Al Gore
• and finally Barack Obama – the latest Nobel Peace Prize winner.

But what’s the point? And what will the Nobel Peace Prize change?

Well, this means the world is hoping that Obama will be successful in his announced efforts to bring a better understanding among conflicting nations. This means people are hoping for it, and they don’t want Obama to let his arms down, to lose focus or drive. He’s been facing a lot of internal opposition in the U.S. regarding his health care plan, and this prize, in a way, means that the world supports him and believes in him. It’s a word of encouragement and faith more than a word of praise or gratefulness. It also means that the stakes are higher than ever. If he ends up not accomplishing what he set out to do, the dissapointment will also be huge.

Whatever’s the outcome, I believe the award is deserved because Barack Obama has filled the world with a sense of hope and unity that we haven’t witnessed in a long time. He made people believe things could change. He made people believe they could change things! That in itself is already a victory. Thank you very much for that!