Nobel Prize for Elocution

Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize today. I guess being the President of the Untied States is a gift that keeps giving. Only, with this prize there is the small matter of the $1.4 million prize money. I am not sure if the President is allowed to keep the sum under their constitution but that is a different matter. What every news report did harp on is that the committee has this year used the prize as a carrot thrown at the world's most powerful man and what remains to be seen is if the bite is as strong as the bark (in matters of peace, ofcourse).

The use of persuasion is not alien to Mr. Obama (see previous post: 'The Spoken Word'), indeed he arguably is the most persuasive man on the planet. And therefore he surely understands the intention of the world through this prize to hold some form of minute influence over his country's actions through him. America being the sole superpower, the world needs to be reassured that reason does prevail in Washington. Indeed, the president has acknowledged that the honor is an encouragement for his stated international policies - implying that it is more a 'Thank God!' for the end of the Bush Doctrine and not so much a nod to his own achievements.

As America debates a very domestic issue of Healthcare Reforms, where the president seems to be on the ropes, this prize has come as a welcome relief to his credibility. And although it may have no bearing on the outcome of the Healthcare reforms, Mr. Barack Obama could yet realize the goals of the Peace Prize through these reforms too. Any change in Healthcare delivery system in US will have knock on effect on similar systems around the globe. The world is in need of cheaper drugs which is possible when some of the drug patents are relaxed in the US. Also the USFDA is the standard bearer for new drug developments worldwide and hence any sharing of expertise and knowledge with emerging nations can only help saving lives.

Often though the public fails to see in times of change, the things that remain the same. On the ground therefore the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize of the year remains the head of the army which is at war in two foreign nations. Picking holes in the choice almost seems too easy. Yet, what the award this year succeeds in doing is shedding light on the kind of leadership to be desired from heads of state. To world leaders, this announcement hopes to show that the power they hold can be used for more than simply furthering narrow national interests and asks of them to be true statesmen of wisdom if not merely the right words.

More Reading:
1.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-wallechinsky/obama-awarded-nobel-peace_b_315111.html
2.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/6284763/Barack-Obama-surprised-and-humbled-by-Nobel-Peace-Prize.html
3.http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/10/first-year-grad-student-wins-nobel.html