ALFRED Nobel’s rationale for winning a Nobel Peace Prize is written in his will, which states that it shall be awarded to a person who has “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
According to the Philippine Star last October 10, there have been many interpretations of the will, which go as far as combating poverty, disease and climate change. But even this very liberal construal of Alfred Nobel’s will cannot support US President Barack Obama’s winning the coveted peace prize.
According to the Nobel Committee, Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize because of his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples.”
Most praiseworthy of his achievements, according to the committee, is his vision of a nuclear-free world. But numbers from BBC News state otherwise: the US has at least 2,200 nuclear weapons, just 600 short of Russia’s 2,800. Obama mentioned that he would disarm these weapons, but where would these defused missiles go after being dismantled? Even their nuclear waste has nowhere to go. .
Another laudable but somewhat skewed achievement is that he was able to reduce the US military in various controlled places like Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as more for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility (which is under review). Nevertheless, there are still around 124,000 troops in Iraq and Commander of the US forces in Afghanistan David McKiernan requested for as much as 30,000 more troops for the purging of militant Islamic groups.
Bringing sentiment to the Filipino and other migrant workers, what has he done to the many laborers who lost their jobs as a result of the US financial crisis? Renato Reyes of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said that as much as 50,000 Overseas Filipino Workers may be lost due to the global financial crisis. By putting Americans in first priority for jobs, Obama has saved his people from the crisis, but did not foster “co-operation between peoples.”
Going back to the nomination and selection process, how can Obama have won when he has just started his administration? There were only two weeks between Obama’s assumption to office and his nomination for the award. No one can do so much for world peace in that period of time.
Personally, the only rationale I can think of for one to receive the award would be the prize committee having an overly liberal interpretation of Alfred Nobel’s will. I’m more inclined to think that the committee lacked judgment because it was way too early for Obama. As Manila Standard columnist Antonio Abaya said in his column last October 13, it was given to Obama to enhance his efforts towards peace. So has the Nobel Peace Prize become a form of tokenism, a mere investment rather than a prize worth the sweat of your brow?
Many people have seen Obama as a African-American president who embodies the equality among races. Even I believe that he can influence or even change American society to leave its alienating attitude towards blacks and other peoples, but I have to disagree with the Nobel Prize Committee for prematurely giving the prize to him. We have yet to see what President Obama has to sacrifice to win the Nobel Peace Prize. And I still remain hopeful for the US President in his future efforts for peace.
***
When Ondoy struck, I got stuck in the Varsitarian office for around 30 hours, along with my co-staffers and loads of people in the Tan Yan Kee (TYK). It felt like the movie The Day After Tomorrow, with people rushing towards the various buildings amid the rain, and with little or no means of communication to the outside world.
However, if conditions in the University were considered uncomfortable to some and these floods were among the worst in 40 years, how much more for the provinces where people constantly face landslides and flash floods? Historian Ambeth Ocampo often said in his books that when Manila sneezes, the Philippines catches a cold. Let this be a wake-up call that disaster management everywhere in the Philippines has to be improved.
