Nobel Prize for Good Will

Just like Goodwill Ambassadors who stand for international organizations and propagate their activities, especially philanthropic ones, the Nobel committee surprised us by granting the American president, Barrack Obama, the Nobel Peace Prize not for his accomplishments, but for the good deeds he has vowed to do!

More often than not, the awarding of this very prize is liable to cause arguments, especially if it involves various political factors. However, Obama’s winning is the most controversial in the history of this prize, which dates back to 1901. But what was the reaction of journalists who attended the conference where the winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize was announced? They just stood agape! And, supposedly, this is the feeling shared by everyone from one end of the globe to the other, including Obama himself, who said he did not deserve it.

At the writing of this article, sarcastic criticism has not ceased, to the extent that some dubbed the prize the “Nobel Prize for Talk,” alluding to the speeches and vows Obama has made since he was inaugurated on January 20, 2009, and has not yet achieved. And that is damnably true.

During his electoral campaign, Obama promised to pull back his troops from Iraq, close the “ill-famed” Guantanamo detention camp, extend dialogue bridges to the Islamic world, defuse the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and make gains in the so-called “war on terror” in Afghanistan. However, nothing of the sort was carried out before he was announced the Nobel laureate.

It is beyond any shadow of doubt that Obama has created a new universal situation. He is the first president ever who depends on public relations on such a broad basis. Even before he became president, Obama went from being an ordinary candidate for the American presidency to being a universal character. And, like movie stars, he was friendly enough to reach out to everyone!

Obama might be serious about changing the way the world sees his country. He is keen on proliferating unprecedented waves of universal peace. He adopts the language of diplomacy rather than war. Yet, he has forwarded nothing realistic, except for a heap of good intentions. That is why he may be called the “Nobel Ambassador for Good Will!”