The awarding of this years Nobel peace prize to the American president Barack Obama is a travesty of the unparallel prestige of the award. It seems Nobles are now being awarded only for “Audacity of hope” rather than audacity of action.
The Nobel Prize is the highest honor that can be conferred on a person on this planet.They are considered as a recognition of one’s lifetime achievement and dedication. But in Mr. Obama’s case no such criterions have been fulfilled. He has just embarked upon his arduous task as the American president to convert into reality what he hopes of achieving. I am not questioning his sincerity to bring an end to violence or his endeavors for nuclear disarmament. But it will take many years before these endeavors are transformed into a reality. And the coveted prize would have been very appropriate at that juncture when his hopes began to materialize.
I would like to stress that a person, however magnanimous and great he might be, can never be judged in a few months time. A person has to stand the test of time before he receives kudos for his work.Won't it be ludicrous to confer a lifetime achievement Oscar award on a debutant actor, however splendid his performance might be? This analogy very aptly applies to Mr. Obama getting Nobel.
What makes this Nobel more incongruous is the fact that Mr. Obama as the American president is currently spearheading a gory war in Afghanistan and Iraq. There are still reports of rampant violence and huge number of civilian causalities in these areas. I think this award brings to fore a piquant irony and best describes the word oxymoron-the president of a country engaged into two violent wars is awarded the highest peace prize. As if war and peace have become synonymous.
I believe that there were many other strong contenders for this coveted awarded. There are hundreds of NGO leaders who are working selflessly in war zones and endeavoring tirelessly to make our earth free from violence. These faceless philanthropists receive no recognition for their earnest efforts. I think a Nobel for any of such philanthropists would have sent a good message at the present scenario where the scourge of violence and terrorism has endangered world peace.
