A peace prize for a war president
At the ceremonies in Oslo, President Obama didn't deliver the speech expected by the Nobel Committee, though he did at least lay out some limits on the use of American power.
That sure was not your average Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, said David Usborne in Britain’s Independent. At the ceremonies in Oslo last week, President Barack Obama didn’t sing the praises of pacifism, but instead prepared the world for more bloodshed under his tenure. “The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it,” he said. “There will be times when nations, acting individually or in concert, will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.” Still, Obama did at least lay out some limits on the use of American power. He said that unilateral action should be a last resort, and that the laws of war, as outlined in the Geneva Conventions, must be obeyed.
How downright Orwellian, said Lorraine Millot in France’s Libération. “War is peace?” That is “doublethink straight out of 1984.” Neoconservatives rejoiced at Obama’s bellicose words. One historian has already pointed out that “if Bush had said the same things, the world would have erupted in violent denunciations—but when Obama says it, everyone purrs.” That’s because Obama is a master of nuanced rhetoric, said Pierre Rousselin in France’s Le Figaro. His speech had something for everyone, “from supporters of human rights to defenders of national security.” Above all, he was humble and self-deprecating, saying he did not enjoy the same stature as previous winner Martin Luther King Jr.
“Few winners have given such a reluctant speech—and with good reason,” said Spain’s ABC in an editorial. After all, this is the president who has ramped up the bombing of Pakistani villages and ordered another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. No wonder he “almost seemed to apologize for receiving the award.” Of course, the Nobel Committee set him up. They weren’t trying to give him something by awarding him the prize—they were trying to get something. “They wanted to pressure Obama to fulfill his campaign promises” by ending two wars, closing Guantánamo, creating a Palestinian state, and befriending the Muslim world, all while peacefully disarming North Korea and Iran. They’ll be waiting a long time.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The critics are missing the point, said Harald Stanghelle in Norway’s Aftenposten. Obama has already “brought about the most dramatic shift in the climate of international politics since the ghastly terror attacks on New York and Washington on 9/11.” His outreach to the Muslim world in Cairo last summer was the greatest step the U.S. has taken toward healing those wounds. Under his stewardship, the U.S. has begun “actively engaging in nuclear disarmament” by negotiating a new arms-control treaty with Russia. Perhaps most important, the “superpower once again regards the U.N. as an important international tool.” Any one of those achievements could have merited a Nobel Prize. That the critics mock Obama for not having achieved world peace merely “demonstrates what high hopes are attached to his presidency.” He’s made a great start. “And we expect more of the same.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Simone Biles: Rising – an 'elegantly paced and vulnerable' portrait of the gymnast
The Week Recommends Netflix's four-part documentary is more than a 'riveting comeback story'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Paloma recipe: the cocktail of the summer
The Week Recommends This refreshing drink balances the fresh and fizzy taste of grapefruit soda with a subtle flavour of smooth tequila
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Mushroom edibles are tripping up users
the explainer The psychedelics can sometimes have questionable components
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published