Obama’s Nobel: “A Call to Action”

By Toufic Barakeh

London: http://sayitonline.net 11 October 2009

President Barack Obama attempted to colour the occasion, by detailing his daughters' reaction: "After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, 'Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize… And then Sasha added, 'Plus we have a three-day weekend coming up,'

What is the big deal in starting my column in this way? Because Obama the individual, the human matters. Obama’s CV won him the prize. Obama the President of the US is yet to earn it by the fulfilment of his commitments. According to Agot Valle, a Norwegian politician who served on the award committee The Nobel peace prize was given "primarily for his work on and commitment to nuclear disarmament," Valle told the Wall Street Journal that the stewards of the prize wanted to "support" Obama's goal, as expressed recently at the United Nations, "of a world without nuclear weapons." Nuclear disarmament is a noble cause by all means. To use it selectively against Iran diminishes its nobility. It is ridiculous that nuclear armed Israel keeps expressing an itch to raid Iran without being told to disarm or shut up.

In his six-minute address in the Rose Garden accepting the prize, the President restrained his usual smile and avoided to be showy and said he's "surprised and deeply humbled". He said he hoped the prize would serve as a catalyst to grapple with the Middle East, violence, poverty, disease and racism.

It seems that Obama and his circles received the news about the award with mixed feelings. “His face seemed cloudy on a sunny fall day”, and “The last thing Barack Obama needed at this moment in his presidency and our politics is a prize for a promise” wrote TIME's Mark Thompson and Nancy Gibbs. Is it guilty conscience as many of the stated goals are already, but unnecessarily compromised.

To become the 44^th US president, Obama won a decisive victory. Some people voted for the first time; just to support him. He does not belong to a political dynasty yet managed to raise three-quarters of a billion dollars to finance his tough campaign. He is the first US President of African origin. He saved the reputation of his country. “The U.S. is now the world's most admired nation, up from seventh place last year, charting the highest jump among the 50 countries measured* wrote Mark Thompson. Obama does not owe any particular group or lobby for his win. So why compromise his and his heroes’ principles. Remember Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream?

The merits of Obama’s personality that make me appreciate him as a person and achiever, wouldn’t allow me endorse Gore Vidal’s statement that Obama is 'Dreadful' as President. But it is disrespectful to Dr. King and his dream to allow the likes of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu carry on in violating international law, keep expanding his settlements and follow a racist policy towards the Palestinians. It is still fresh news that compromising Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas had acted upon Obama’s Administration instructions on the scandalous issue of withholding support for a U.N (Judge Goldstone’s) report that charges Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza last year; which caused furore among the Palestinians and delayed signing of unity pact to end their bitter differences.

President Obama should do more to ascertain his authority in order to avoid the US another race war and make the world a better and more peaceful place. As for the Afghan war, he may not be discredited for his lack of military experience. As a most intellectual US President, he should be able to rule over his generals. History suggests the Afghan involvement is a big loser. I would recall here that once a Lebanese President, Suleiman Frangieh, received a delegation of his army generals to congratulate him on his election. The head of the delegation told him that he undertakes on behalf of the army to cooperate with him. The President of Lebanon, a democracy in its own way and by Middle Eastern standard, got the hint and rejected the word cooperate and told him he should know who is commander and he should follow his orders. In giving advice to President Obama, Vidal cites President Lincoln, who wrote to one of his generals in the South after the Civil War 'I am President of the United States. I have full overall power and never forget it, because I will exercise it.'

That day 9 October originally set to be focused on a meeting on the Afghan war was stolen by the 5:03 a.m. news from Oslo that the President had become a Nobel laureate.

What a contrast.

What a coincidence.

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