Why Him? Why Now?

Why him? Or rather, why at this point in time? The history of the Nobel Peace Prize is littered with questionable decisions, but this is going to be one of the most controversial. Worst, it risks being counter-productive.

In spite of the goodwill that Barack Obama inspires in the world, the fact is that nothing has yet come of it. Certainly, the election of the first black American president was a magnificent symbol – but in that case, it’s the American people who must make peace. Without a doubt, Barack Obama’s speeches are polished and impressive, but there has been no action, much less any outcome of those actions.

If we observe the foreign policy of the president – at least what has been seen up until now – there isn’t enough to check off on the balance sheet. We first see a man very much bogged down on the two most pressing issues of the moment: the Middle East and Afghanistan. In the first case, Barack Obama has been blown off by the Israelis at the end of September and is at the moment looking for a way to start up again.

If we observe his domestic policy, we see some issues such as health care and climate change that, for now, are on the back burner while Wall Street goes back to its old ways. In addition, the American economy has not improved, the unemployment rate is approaching 10 percent and the value of the dollar is falling. All this creates a tense political environment.

With these conditions, the Nobel Peace Prize risks fanning tensions more than calming them. We already see the attacks that will come out on the neoconservative radio and television shows. Paradoxically, this prize might celebrate a “uniter,” but it’s probably going to be polarizing.

It will be heavy to carry for the interested party. It isn’t easy being the leader of the world’s only superpower, currently the focal point of immense hopes that may only lead to disappointment, and hindered on every part by a very restrained political system. The sanctification by the Nobel Prize doesn’t help matters at all.