Why Obama Is a Prize Winning President
By Vusi Moloi © 2009
Congratulations are in order to President Barack Obama for winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. This surprise award recognizes and vindicates President Obama’s transformative role in bringing a fundamental change in global discourse with respect to detente and peaceful efforts towards world peace. President Obama is an extraordinary individual whose extraordinary achievements and approach towards world affairs require this kind of extraordinary recognition. This means the Nobel Prize Committee is in step with the new political climate in the light of the advent of the great President Obama.
Rewarded Too Early?
Some have expressed misgivings that this award is too premature since President Obama has only been in office for less than nine months. Those who hold this view walk the path of instant gratification where you get paid for what you have done and do as you please afterwards and they have never experienced the strategic advantage in picking a fruit before it’s ripe because that means it does not get eaten right away and will stay longer during the voyage and on reaching the final destination it will be fresher than the fruits that were picked when ripe. This principle of deferring self-gratification while the fruit is still green is an important concept that gives a survival advantage to those who practice it. It teaches us the maxims of self-discipline and self-restraint. For this reason the Nobel Peace Prize is well positioned to foster these values in the Obama Presidency.
This prize is intended to reward President Obama as a change agent as well as bolster his policies that favour diplomatic over military efforts in bringing about peace among the nations of the world. The Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee Thorbjorn Jagland underscored the fact that President Obama had done more than anyone in the previous year to enhance peace on the planet. The advent of President Obama has already ushered a fundamental shift in world relations where United Nations and other world institutions have regained their central role in addressing the urgent problems of the world.
In the press release issued by the Nobel Prize Committee, President Obama was praised for his ability and achievement in creating a favourable mood of peace and diplomacy in the direction that agrees with the majority of the world citizens:
“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.
For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.” The Nobel Peace Prize 2009
Unilateralism vs. Multilateralism
Unlike President George Bush who trashed the United Nations as “irrelevant” in his September 12, 2002 speech to the United Nations “Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?”, President Obama embraced the world body when addressing the same United Nations last month on September 23 “The time has come to realize that the old habits; the old arguments are irrelevant to the challenges faced by our people.”
We can see that the Former President George Bush view of the world is like night and day compared to President Obama. President Obama understands the urgent need for peace and his outside the box approach to world events is a tribute to the great Americans like Cordell Hull who received a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the founding of the United Nations which earned him the title The Father of the United Nations from President Franklin Roosevelt.
President Obama who became the President of the United States on January 20th of this year would have been nominated to the Nobel Prize Committee 10 just days after taking office to meet the deadline of February 1st. The manner in which Mr. Obama was able to navigate and transcend the political thrashings of the hotly contested presidential campaign and still manage to embrace his archrival Hilary Clinton was nothing short of amazing. Obama’s political grace even put a smile in great female politicians like Nancy Pelosi whom I respect greatly. All this was a Nobel Prize material.
As a Nobel Prize Laureate, President Obama joins the ranks of other great individuals like his fellow African sister Dr. Wangari Mathai who fully supports and rejoices with him in the same spirit expressed by other great Africans like Nelson Mandela, Mohammed ElBaradei, Desmond Tutu as well as his fellow Americans like former President Jimmy Carter, former Vice-President Al Gore and many others in the world who wish President Obama well in his audacious quest to bring about world peace via the regime of diplomacy with less emphasis on armed confrontation.
What About the Three Wars i.e. Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan?
These wars are not the creation of President Obama but rather the legacy of the unilateralist policies of the former President Bush. In this fashion, President Obama was dealt a bad hand but like any wise strategist he must work with the cards that he was dealt until such time that he can deal the cards. The main thrust of his efforts is geared towards ending these wars beginning with Iraq.
It’s the viewpoint of this writer that General Stanely McChrystal may not see his wish of 40000-50000 troop surge realized. The Soviets tried this troop surge strategy by pouring all their fighting resources in the hope of defeating the Mugahedeen and the consequence of that saw their own economy depleted in the process. President Obama is adept at learning from others’ mistakes and not repeating them. He seemingly has an instinctive grasp of how the jungle works which requires that he must be guided by a sense of foretaste and not a sense of bitter aftertaste.
The Americans are going to withdraw from parts of Afghanistan in order to concentrate and position themselves where they can reach a favourable political settlement with the unconquerable Taliban fighters. We have already seen this with the recent retreat of American soldiers from Nuristan a very important piece of strategic ground given the ability of the Talibans to crisscross with Pakistant at will. The withdrawal follows one of the deadliest attacks where the Americans where overrun by the insurgents resulting in a great loss of American life in the hands of the Talibans.
The withdrawal is officially referred to as a “repositioning” of forces and there is no shame in that. The Talibans are a natural gravity of Afghanistan and no one has ever won a war against gravity on the long term. Part of the reason is that the Talibans know the terrain like the back of their hands and unlike the forces of foreign occupation they are committed to their motherland which enables them to fight with unmatched determination while the foreign forces fight with unmatched technology. The Americans realize this immutable fact of antagonistic contradiction and for this reason they are headed for a political settlement at some point in the future.
Impact of the Nobel Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize has important implications for the Obama Presidency. It alters the dynamics of strategizing and goes a long way to bolster his quest for a diplomatic settlement in Afghanistan which will allow him to narrow the conflict to counter-terrorism. Some think such a redefined war is easier to win than fighting the Talibans. Given that Vice-President Joe Biden leans towards deescalating and avoiding a Vietnam-like bottomless quagmire in Afghanistan vis-à-vis the Secretary of State Hilary Clinton who supports increased confrontation via a troop surge President Obama will only have to solve a trivial case of opposing viewpoints.
About the Author
A former South African Television Journalist, Vusi Moloi is a published author of a contextual poetry book, A Goodbye To My Little Troubles, and maintains a blog, Zulumathabo on the Internet.
Congratulations are in order to President Barack Obama for winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. This surprise award recognizes and vindicates President Obama’s transformative role in bringing a fundamental change in global discourse with respect to detente and peaceful efforts towards world peace. President Obama is an extraordinary individual whose extraordinary achievements and approach towards world affairs require this kind of extraordinary recognition. This means the Nobel Prize Committee is in step with the new political climate in the light of the advent of the great President Obama.
Rewarded Too Early?
Some have expressed misgivings that this award is too premature since President Obama has only been in office for less than nine months. Those who hold this view walk the path of instant gratification where you get paid for what you have done and do as you please afterwards and they have never experienced the strategic advantage in picking a fruit before it’s ripe because that means it does not get eaten right away and will stay longer during the voyage and on reaching the final destination it will be fresher than the fruits that were picked when ripe. This principle of deferring self-gratification while the fruit is still green is an important concept that gives a survival advantage to those who practice it. It teaches us the maxims of self-discipline and self-restraint. For this reason the Nobel Peace Prize is well positioned to foster these values in the Obama Presidency.
This prize is intended to reward President Obama as a change agent as well as bolster his policies that favour diplomatic over military efforts in bringing about peace among the nations of the world. The Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee Thorbjorn Jagland underscored the fact that President Obama had done more than anyone in the previous year to enhance peace on the planet. The advent of President Obama has already ushered a fundamental shift in world relations where United Nations and other world institutions have regained their central role in addressing the urgent problems of the world.
In the press release issued by the Nobel Prize Committee, President Obama was praised for his ability and achievement in creating a favourable mood of peace and diplomacy in the direction that agrees with the majority of the world citizens:
“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.
For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.” The Nobel Peace Prize 2009
Unilateralism vs. Multilateralism
Unlike President George Bush who trashed the United Nations as “irrelevant” in his September 12, 2002 speech to the United Nations “Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?”, President Obama embraced the world body when addressing the same United Nations last month on September 23 “The time has come to realize that the old habits; the old arguments are irrelevant to the challenges faced by our people.”
We can see that the Former President George Bush view of the world is like night and day compared to President Obama. President Obama understands the urgent need for peace and his outside the box approach to world events is a tribute to the great Americans like Cordell Hull who received a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the founding of the United Nations which earned him the title The Father of the United Nations from President Franklin Roosevelt.
President Obama who became the President of the United States on January 20th of this year would have been nominated to the Nobel Prize Committee 10 just days after taking office to meet the deadline of February 1st. The manner in which Mr. Obama was able to navigate and transcend the political thrashings of the hotly contested presidential campaign and still manage to embrace his archrival Hilary Clinton was nothing short of amazing. Obama’s political grace even put a smile in great female politicians like Nancy Pelosi whom I respect greatly. All this was a Nobel Prize material.
As a Nobel Prize Laureate, President Obama joins the ranks of other great individuals like his fellow African sister Dr. Wangari Mathai who fully supports and rejoices with him in the same spirit expressed by other great Africans like Nelson Mandela, Mohammed ElBaradei, Desmond Tutu as well as his fellow Americans like former President Jimmy Carter, former Vice-President Al Gore and many others in the world who wish President Obama well in his audacious quest to bring about world peace via the regime of diplomacy with less emphasis on armed confrontation.
What About the Three Wars i.e. Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan?
These wars are not the creation of President Obama but rather the legacy of the unilateralist policies of the former President Bush. In this fashion, President Obama was dealt a bad hand but like any wise strategist he must work with the cards that he was dealt until such time that he can deal the cards. The main thrust of his efforts is geared towards ending these wars beginning with Iraq.
It’s the viewpoint of this writer that General Stanely McChrystal may not see his wish of 40000-50000 troop surge realized. The Soviets tried this troop surge strategy by pouring all their fighting resources in the hope of defeating the Mugahedeen and the consequence of that saw their own economy depleted in the process. President Obama is adept at learning from others’ mistakes and not repeating them. He seemingly has an instinctive grasp of how the jungle works which requires that he must be guided by a sense of foretaste and not a sense of bitter aftertaste.
The Americans are going to withdraw from parts of Afghanistan in order to concentrate and position themselves where they can reach a favourable political settlement with the unconquerable Taliban fighters. We have already seen this with the recent retreat of American soldiers from Nuristan a very important piece of strategic ground given the ability of the Talibans to crisscross with Pakistant at will. The withdrawal follows one of the deadliest attacks where the Americans where overrun by the insurgents resulting in a great loss of American life in the hands of the Talibans.
The withdrawal is officially referred to as a “repositioning” of forces and there is no shame in that. The Talibans are a natural gravity of Afghanistan and no one has ever won a war against gravity on the long term. Part of the reason is that the Talibans know the terrain like the back of their hands and unlike the forces of foreign occupation they are committed to their motherland which enables them to fight with unmatched determination while the foreign forces fight with unmatched technology. The Americans realize this immutable fact of antagonistic contradiction and for this reason they are headed for a political settlement at some point in the future.
Impact of the Nobel Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize has important implications for the Obama Presidency. It alters the dynamics of strategizing and goes a long way to bolster his quest for a diplomatic settlement in Afghanistan which will allow him to narrow the conflict to counter-terrorism. Some think such a redefined war is easier to win than fighting the Talibans. Given that Vice-President Joe Biden leans towards deescalating and avoiding a Vietnam-like bottomless quagmire in Afghanistan vis-à-vis the Secretary of State Hilary Clinton who supports increased confrontation via a troop surge President Obama will only have to solve a trivial case of opposing viewpoints.
About the Author
A former South African Television Journalist, Vusi Moloi is a published author of a contextual poetry book, A Goodbye To My Little Troubles, and maintains a blog, Zulumathabo on the Internet.
posted by Vusi Moloi at
3:22 PM
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