A Prize Too Soon?

I am a big fan of Barak Obama. I think he really is an exceptional leader. Anybody after Bush was bound to look good; but Obama is a great leader by any standard.

He is candid in his views, does not shy away from big issues and is not scared to talk about sensitive topics like race or faith relations. He has been proactive in opening the dialogue and removing the mistrust between the Islamic world and the West. He has put a lot of effort easing the situations in the Middle East. He is planning phased withdrawal from Iraq. He recognises that the true epicentre of Islamic fundamentalism is Afghanistan-Pakistan based Taliban and hence he is increasing pressure on them. He is a balanced, open, sincere leader who is well aware of the true power of his position and the responsibility that comes with it. And he does not end his speeches with the religious rhetoric of ‘God Bless America’.

Still I believe that the prize awarded this year is somewhat premature. Obama has very good plans on many things and he has also started acting on them. But they are yet to be successful. Not because of the lack of merit, but simply because they are still in very initial stages.

It is true that Obama has generated an unprecedented hope among common people all over the world. He had a land slide victory in America, but he would have won by a bigger margin if people all over the world could vote in that election. He has shown us a hope for the better, cleaner and fairer world.

But Nobel peace prize should not be anticipatory. Obama has shown his commitment for the nuclear proliferation and recognised the big risk of the climate change and has agreed to act on it. But he simply did not get enough time to implement his plans.

The Nobel peace prize should neither be awarded as a condemnation of Bush administration nor as an approval for Obama’s policies. I think it should only be awarded to the people with proven work towards world peace.

Nobel peace prize is notorious for being politically motivated and for being awarded to completely undeserved people. Even Nobel prizes in many other fields were also questionable at times (for example the Literature Nobel to Winston Churchill for his book which can be described as mediocre at best).

This award is not such a big disaster; Obama is a very talented man. And I feel everybody should try to help him implementing his policies, which look exceptional so far.

I do not object too strongly to the decision; I just feel it is a few years too early. Nobel peace prize should not be used to show people’s support for Barak Obama. It just devalues the prize and makes Obama’s position slightly embarrassing. Especially when he could have won it deservedly within a few years.

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