Barack Obama's Nobel Prize

Conservative groups are for some reason always better organised and united in their attitude to power. Liberals and progressives on the other hand are usually critical of themselves, naive about the extents to which their opponents will go, and disunited. The consequence is often that right wing groups are more adept at securing and holding on to power in spite of progressives and liberals being more popular with the people. When occasionally, progressive or liberal politicians seize power, the right wing quickly regroups and mounts a vicious fight back and are soon back in power. Remember Monica Lewinsky and the “vast right wing conspiracy”? Remember the Iran-Contra scandal and the destruction of Jimmy Carter’s Presidency? Remember how Al Gore foolishly fell for right-wing propaganda that Bill Clinton was a liability such that he forsook his greatest electoral asset-a sitting, popular president-and ended up losing narrowly to George W Bush. Remember the truncation of “June 12” in Nigeria with progressives in disarray?
The other outcome is that conservatives then define the political agenda putting progressives on the defensive. I was reminded of this phenomenon as I watched the reaction to President Obama’s nomination as the winner of this year’s Nobel Prize for Peace. If the international (and even domestic media) is to be believed, Obama does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. I watched CNN as news of the award broke with Jonathan Mann as anchor. In those first minutes, it was clear as Mann and his colleagues broke the news what the right wing strategic response to the development would be-they would imply that the Nobel Committee played politics with the award; that Obama had done nothing to deserve the award; and that the Nobel Committee was stepping into US politics. The entire CNN reportage was carefully scripted to convince viewers of this point of view such that soon, that tele-guided logic was the prevalent opinion and most people imagined they had come to that conclusion on their own.
But is the evidence that Obama is undeserving of the award that uncontroversial? Actually in my view, no! To the contrary, the actual evidence is that Obama is a once-in-a-generation universal phenomenon that indeed has already had a significant positive impact on the prospects for world peace and global cooperation. On the day Obama was overwhelmingly elected President of the United States of America, by blacks, whites, Latinos, Jews, men and women, he earned a Nobel Prize. The fact that millions all over the world-in Africa, Russia, Europe, Asia and the Arab world prayed fervently for his victory was a significant achievement for peace and unity in the world. Before Obama was even elected President, he addressed a rally in Germany in which over two hundred thousand people were present. What was the import of that? Why did Europeans wish so enthusiastically for an Obama Presidency? Peace happens in the minds of men. It is not an event or ceremony!
The point is that Obama’s candidacy and eventual election so captivated the world because he offered a vision of a world where race, class, religious and other divisions would not be a barrier amongst people. He united the world behind his vision of unity and change. In seeking to play a different type of politics in which he refused to demonise and attack his opponent’s person, a politics in which he conceded that his opponents were patriots who wished to do their best for America, but in which he disagreed with them only on policies, he offered a new template for politicians all over the world. And he motivated a new generation of people, not just in America, but all over the world, to consider public service as a noble career.
And since his election, in spite of deliberate provocation from the right wing, Obama’s has refused to get drawn into the politics of hate and recrimination. His opponents have called him a liar, Nazi, African witch doctor, the anti-Christ; they have questioned his citizenship of America, they have carried guns to his rallies implicitly threatening him, yet Obama has stayed above the fray, pursuing his dream of a different type of politics. He has started a new conversation in the world-America is talking to North Korea with ex-President Bill Clinton even visiting to retrieve an American held by the communist regime; the Israelis and Palestinians are talking again, even if they will not find peace tomorrow; the United Nations is regaining relevance again with Obama personally attending the Security Council meeting at the recent UN General Assembly; Europe is happy with America again; even the Iranians are responding in their own peculiar fashion to Obama’s offer of discussions over their attempt to get the nuclear bomb.
Tensions between America and Russia have been defused as America has withdrawn its missile shield project and Russia has reciprocated with security measures of its own. Both countries have agreed on some token nuclear de-commissioning presaging more significant nuclear cuts in future. Since his election, Obama has re-inforced global economic cooperation with a remarkably consensual G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, USA agreeing on the framework for economic and financial reform. In Africa, Obama and his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton have begun to speak the truth to African leaders about corruption, democracy, strong institutions, good governance and poverty-the real prerequisites to sustainable peace on the African continent. Obama has changed the tenor of global relations and has helped to pull the world back from the brink. He deserves the Nobel Prize for Peace.