US President Barack Obama had no choice but to humble himself amidst global reactions of "too early", "gasps of surprises", "cries of too much too soon", "mere intentions", "hasty" and other sorts of condemnation as a result of the recent news about his winning a slot in the prestigious Nobel Peace Award for 2010 last October 9, 2009. The breaking news literally caught his detractors off guard and his allies grinning wide. He now goes down in American history as the fourth president to win this peace award, a neophyte president of barely 2 years in office. The other three past American presidents who were given this accolade were :Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, Woodrow Wilson in 1919, Jimmy Carter in 2002.
There's nothing wrong about winning the peace award. If there is anything wrong perhaps for President Obama's "too early" nomination that led him to his garnering the award, is that there seems to me a break, say a complete reverse from the traditional manner of selecting winners with widely proven testimonies and concrete proofs as having the most humanitarian accomplishments and registering the best work for fostering fraternity of nations, the reduction if not the abolition of nuclear weapons and active involvement in peace congresses. There is not enough that President Obama had accomplished yet. His young administration is barely 2 years and is at an early stage of mapping out actions to implement his well- intended policies.
The 5-member Norwegian Nobel Committee was quick in rationalizing that President Obama won because the judges believed in his promise of disarmament and his diplomacy that are too good to be ignored. In several fora he attended in the international communities it was observed that he outwardly pledged to work an end to the war in Iraq that is hurting America and her allies in Afghanistan. His effort to reach out to the Arab world after years of failed negotiations of peace, if any, by his predecessors and the unsolved raging hostilities obviously lead to his "wonderful recognition"as the one president of this time who can muster global support to the very same intentions of the Nobel Peace award. But he had not brought home yet a good number of American soldiers fighting in those war-torn nations, the way he promised at his campaign speeches. He is accused of having blood-soaked hands because of continued failure to withdraw his government's military forces and end the blood-shed in Afghanistan.
President Obama is being accused of winning due to "mere intentions" still bereft with resulting actions. Optimistically, this may be accepted as true, but again, his allies concur that given his kind of resolve, they believe and trust that he can deliver what he intends to achieve. The opportunity to respond to the pressing world problems is never too early, in fact, it is said that 3 years from now, we may find it too late to stir into action. What is asked from all of us is cooperation.
The Philippines, my country, which is just a dot in the world map, stands to benefit if only our own government officials open their eyes to the intentions of powers that be in the international arena. President Obama's call to reduced nuclear weapons and armies in foreign countries, his plea for international respond to global climate change are two of the most important reasons why I want to react. Is the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between US and the Philippines really beneficial to both or is just one-sided, with the US benefited most? The Muslims in Mindanao, are the Afghans and the Arabs in our country. When will the business of rearming the Muslims in the guise of fighting off terrorists end? If they aren't the terrorists themselves, then who are they really? How will the hostilities among brother Filipinos end?
The presence of a large number of big American firms and companies that unload so much pollution in the air are hurting the climate. Is the Philippines warming up or cooling off?The recent disasters that are like omen to this country, are strong indications that we are not spared from the wrath of nature's revenge. Why do we allow such rapine in our own ecology for a promise of the green bucks that only line the pockets of the few in government?
I don't claim to know much about the above issues but if climate change and a nuclear-free world must definitely become a global concern, then everybody must consider everybody's good. Peace congresses must not remain mere lip services, they must stir everyone's imagination as to what will happen to this world if we continue harping about "too early" things rather than think about what will happen if today we will continue arguing and refuse to cooperate. I am but a small voice, but I want change. We have only one Earth. Let's protect its occupants, the Earthmen.
Photo by Violentz
There's nothing wrong about winning the peace award. If there is anything wrong perhaps for President Obama's "too early" nomination that led him to his garnering the award, is that there seems to me a break, say a complete reverse from the traditional manner of selecting winners with widely proven testimonies and concrete proofs as having the most humanitarian accomplishments and registering the best work for fostering fraternity of nations, the reduction if not the abolition of nuclear weapons and active involvement in peace congresses. There is not enough that President Obama had accomplished yet. His young administration is barely 2 years and is at an early stage of mapping out actions to implement his well- intended policies.
The 5-member Norwegian Nobel Committee was quick in rationalizing that President Obama won because the judges believed in his promise of disarmament and his diplomacy that are too good to be ignored. In several fora he attended in the international communities it was observed that he outwardly pledged to work an end to the war in Iraq that is hurting America and her allies in Afghanistan. His effort to reach out to the Arab world after years of failed negotiations of peace, if any, by his predecessors and the unsolved raging hostilities obviously lead to his "wonderful recognition"as the one president of this time who can muster global support to the very same intentions of the Nobel Peace award. But he had not brought home yet a good number of American soldiers fighting in those war-torn nations, the way he promised at his campaign speeches. He is accused of having blood-soaked hands because of continued failure to withdraw his government's military forces and end the blood-shed in Afghanistan.
President Obama is being accused of winning due to "mere intentions" still bereft with resulting actions. Optimistically, this may be accepted as true, but again, his allies concur that given his kind of resolve, they believe and trust that he can deliver what he intends to achieve. The opportunity to respond to the pressing world problems is never too early, in fact, it is said that 3 years from now, we may find it too late to stir into action. What is asked from all of us is cooperation.
The Philippines, my country, which is just a dot in the world map, stands to benefit if only our own government officials open their eyes to the intentions of powers that be in the international arena. President Obama's call to reduced nuclear weapons and armies in foreign countries, his plea for international respond to global climate change are two of the most important reasons why I want to react. Is the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between US and the Philippines really beneficial to both or is just one-sided, with the US benefited most? The Muslims in Mindanao, are the Afghans and the Arabs in our country. When will the business of rearming the Muslims in the guise of fighting off terrorists end? If they aren't the terrorists themselves, then who are they really? How will the hostilities among brother Filipinos end?
The presence of a large number of big American firms and companies that unload so much pollution in the air are hurting the climate. Is the Philippines warming up or cooling off?The recent disasters that are like omen to this country, are strong indications that we are not spared from the wrath of nature's revenge. Why do we allow such rapine in our own ecology for a promise of the green bucks that only line the pockets of the few in government?
I don't claim to know much about the above issues but if climate change and a nuclear-free world must definitely become a global concern, then everybody must consider everybody's good. Peace congresses must not remain mere lip services, they must stir everyone's imagination as to what will happen to this world if we continue harping about "too early" things rather than think about what will happen if today we will continue arguing and refuse to cooperate. I am but a small voice, but I want change. We have only one Earth. Let's protect its occupants, the Earthmen.
Photo by Violentz
I fully agree with your view of an too early award to President Obama -
ReplyDeletehttp://current-affairs-and-issues.blogspot.com/2009/11/recognition-of-novel-ideas.html