Brown professor: Obama award 'cheapens Nobel Prize'
4:00 PM Fri, Oct 09, 2009 | Permalink
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Rhode Island was not exempt from the international sense of surprise that followed Friday's news that President Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize just nine months after taking office. The reaction among the Ocean State's international affairs and political science experts was mixed, but for some, the initial shock quickly turned into disappointment. "I don't understand this at all," said Nina Tannenwald, a professor of international relations at Brown University's Watson Institute. "I'm a supporter of Obama, and I think this was a bad idea. I think this cheapens the Nobel Prize. "He's totally changed the tone of the discourse in the world. That's incredibly important. But one could say that without having to award the Nobel Prize to someone. It's way too early in his term." Obama becomes just the third sitting U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize; he follows Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Jimmy Carter won the award more than 20 years after he left office. "To be honest," the president said during a Friday press conference, "I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize, men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace." But Mark Sawoski, professor of political science and international relations at Roger Williams University, says that Obama's selection was justified. "If you look at the international situation today and step back a bit, who has had more positive impact over the past 10 months?" he asked, citing the presidents efforts in stabilizing the "international financial situation," reinvigorating talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, an improving relationship with Russia, and "strengthened relations" with China. "We have a serious approach to try to deal with the world's problems with other countries," Sowoski continued. "There's a new track here." Another Roger Williams professor suggests that the award may be less about Obama and more about his predecessor. "I think at some level, we have to look at this prize as a condemnation of the Bush presidency, more than a celebration of the Obama presidency," said Joseph Roberts, an associate professor of political science. "He has taken a dramatically different approach to international relations than his predecessor." Roberts noted the recent discussions with Iran and Obama's June speech in Cairo as landmark achievements. In its announcement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee credited Obama with creating "a new climate in international politics." "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," reads the statement the committee issued Friday. "His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population." Roberts, meanwhile, said that the high-profile award may create problems for the first-term president. "It makes his job a little more difficult," he said. "It gives the right a little more fodder that he's more celebrity than he is leader. It potentially opens him up to charges of being manipulated by the international community. I don't think that's the case, but I think charges will be made." Indeed, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele issued a statement blasting the award. "The real question Americans are asking is, 'What has President Obama actually accomplished?' " Steele said. "It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights." Those criticisms, however, likely won't resonate with the majority of Americans who supported his candidacy, according to Brown University political science Prof. Wendy Schiller. "Most Americans see this as a stamp of prestige, respect and accomplishment," Schiller said. "Sure, it's a little early to give the guy a Nobel prize. Of course I was surprised... "But it's a tough thing to attack somebody for winning a Nobel Prize. I just think that's not the most productive line of attack for the Republican Party." 
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Seed peace. Encourage peace. Honor hope, enable it, inspire it. What's so hard to understand?
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This is political correctness taken to the Nth degree. What has he accomplished. Let's wait until he parts the red sea atleast once before we call him the greatest of all time! I think this speaks volumes about the academic world of today.
Surely, it must have been the "Beerfest" at the Whitehouse that put him over the top in the voting. We defintely would have gotten the Olympics if this well deserving award had come out a few weeks earlier.
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No one should be surprised that academic liberals think Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. After all, he is THEIR candidate!
The real question is; when is reality going to set in and he is objectively judged on accomplishments?
Maybe the Nobel Committee felt they should reward Obama the Messiah after his Magical Apology Tour through Europe!
Under any other circumstances, I would be very proud that an American President received this prestigious award, if they had earned it!
Sadly, not in this case.
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Our state motto is Hope. Get with the program, ye of little faith!
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Let face it, Obama received this prize simply because of his pandering to the rest of the world. Putting America down, by apologizing for just about everything this country has ever done, which doesn't say much for his presidency. His star effect will tarnish as taxes become an intolerable burden on the working class and Americans experience the further loss of liberties. This is already starting to happen, but the full effect will take a bit more time. His radical, socialist transformation of our great country will be his fall from grace.
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I have to agree with the title of this article. Giving this award to someone who hasn't even spent a year on the job definitely "cheapens" it.
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What an accomplishment, only in office for 11 days before nominations closed. It is like playing 5 total games for the Red Sox and being named the MVP of baseball. It is nice to see that others in the world are as looney as we Americans!
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I don't see how people can say Obama hasn't brought about peace.
-He brought Robert Louis Gates and the Cambridge cop together for a beer in the White House. That was "peaceful" and prevented a potential lawsuit.
-He named Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State, bringing peace to the Democratic Party.
-He gave a speech at Notre Dame saying that we should all work together. That's peaceful.
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OK - what's next? He gets the Heisman?
The Nobel committee has repeatedly compromised its integrity (remember Arafat?). This time it has finally gone past the point of absurdity.
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Donny, his "accomplishments" HAVE in fact been enumerated... last week on Saturday Night Live! Virtually every campaign promise unfulfilled or broken. Remember the promise of posting legislation on the internet? HIS congress worked OVERNIGHT to rescan the stimulus so it could not be wordsearched! They also passed other bills without sharing the language. Guantanamo is still open, they are still "rendering" terror prisoners to third countries (thankfully), we are not out of Iraq, and Afghanistan is failing miserably. Then there is "health care reform". As details of the hodgepodge mix of poisonous details emerges, it looks more and more like a senseless power grab that will cover illegal aliens (despite what they say because the Constitution already decided social benefits cannot be denied to any person legal or not), working people, and taxpayers will all pay to have their coverage lessened, privacy ruined, choices limited, and medical innovation rendered unprofitable. But Obama hasnt even been able to pass that (thankfully). Some say that with both houses of congress and the white house, Obama is too incompetent to accomplish anything. And for that I THANK GOD.
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Our President won a Nobel.
They chose him as did the majority of voters in this country. He was picked for the HOPE he brings for our future.
We should be proud, congratulating him and our other
countrymen who won this year. All negative comments from repukes and the other landslide losers are ignored but remembered for the next election cycle.
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It's a liberal thing, they gave it to Al Gore, too.
At least the media is reporting that those in attendance at the award ceremony "gasped" in surprise.
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I knew this would make the right wing wingnuts heads explode :-)
Once again the Nobel committee not only recognizes accomplishments:
1. Dramatic change in the U.S. view of the world and vice versa, courtesy of Obama's campaign and the U.S. voter.
2. Talking to Iran rather than starting another war.
3. Talking to Cuba and loosening travel restrictions.
4. Not smart mouthing off about the rest of the world and embarrassing the country by displaying massive ignorance of and disdain for foreigners.
5. At least something partly sensible about the missile shield.
6. Trying to wind down Guantanamo.
7. Starting to wind down Iraq.
But it uses the award to make a statement. From outside the U.S., not a lot of difference seen between the wingnuts "kill him" rallies about Obama and repressive regimes tossing awardees in jail.
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the man he done nothing.he has said alot,but that has added up to hot air. i"ll say he can spend alot of money that has not help the little guy. just look at unemployment.he should go back to a job he knows,street worker.
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It is interesting that Obama should get the Peace Prize just a couple of weeks after refusing to meet with the Dalai Lama, a previous Nobel Peace Prize winner, on his visit to Washington. He doesn’t want to offend the Chinese who are in the midst of a renewed human rights oppression drive in Tibet. Now that’s bold leadership you can believe in.
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THIS WORLD HAS CHANGED FOR THE WORST OVER THE
YEARS!!THE WAY OF THINKING NOW IS NOT WHAT YOU
ACCOMPLISH BUT YOUR CELEBRITY STATUS,NOW I
VOTED FOR OBAMA AND HAVE NOT SEEN A BIT OF CHANGE
THAT HE PROMISED!!I THINK WE SADDLED OURSELVES
WITH ANOTHER JIMMY CARTER!!I DO NOT THINK IN THE NEXT ELECTIONS THAT EVEN OPRAH AND JAY-Z OR
BIG BEBOUNCEY WILL NOT CHANGE MY MIND IN THE NEXT ELECTION UNLESS I SEE REAL CHANGE NOT HOLLYWOOD CHANGE OBAMA LESS CELEBRITY AND MORE
PRESIDENTCY PLEASE!!!!
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