A Brief Thought on the Nobel Peace Prize

The unfortunate aspect of President Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize is all of the commentary that will be ensue about both him and the Nobel Prize committee. By assessing the worthiness of recipients, an individual tacitly asserts qualification to do so. However, I suspect that few of those individuals have ever felt compelled to offer commentary on any other recipient – how many people in the U.S. do you think even knew the Prize was being awarded?

About ten years ago, I learned about the 1992 recipient, Guatemalan cultural and civil rights leader and indigenous Maya Rigoberta Menchu, who struggled in the face of extreme violence to shed an international spotlight on the horrible ravages of civil war in her native country. I wondered at that time why I had never heard of her. This opened in me a world of interest about the people selected by the committee to receive the prize. Aung San Suu Kyi (1991), who you will read about in this space soon, is still held captive by the military regime in Burma that prevented her from taking office as Prime Minister, a post she won by election in 1990. Hers is one of the most heart-wrenching but inspirational stories I have found among recipients.


I will not pass judgment here on whether President Obama should have been named 2009's recipient. What credentials do I have to do so? Does it seem a little strange? Well, yes. It's a topic worth discussing. But as I sit in the lobby of a hotel in Idaho, I suspect the guy next to me, who has been ranting about how undeserving the President is, could not name last year's recipient (Finnish peace negotiator Martti Ahtisaari). At least he is voicing his opinion among a small group of people. The talking heads who will grace us with their commentary in the coming days will assume that air of legitimacy that demands people listen and respect their opinions. At least the partisan battles fought on the airwaves are generally carried out by the people who work in politics (or work in offering commentary on politics). I submit that many of the people who pass judgment on this year's Nobel Peace Prize recipient (both in public and private) are likely not familiar enough with the prize to come to the table with a full perspective. What we should all do is take this opportunity to learn a little more about past recipients. Whether the President truly is "worthy" of the prize is a subjective opinion - an opinion that, like others involving complex issues, should be reached with a concerted effort at self education. At that point, we can move past any debate - both sides can claim a legitimate victory.