Reconsidering Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Speech, or: He Could Have Done Better

This morning, President Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

I watched a short clip today in which the Secretary of the Nobel Committee, Geir Lundestad, explained that the reason Obama was selected as the 2009 Laureate is because "he has produced a new international climate, [with emphases on] multilateral institutions, dialogue and negotiations, arms control and disarmament, a new climate agreement, and democracy and human rights."

In his acceptance speech, commonly known as the Nobel Lecture, President Obama touched on all of these points, but spent the majority of his time (a) discussing the philosophical justifications for armed conflict and (b) exploring ways in which we can build and sustain long-term world peace. With regards to this second point, he outlined three critical steps:

• Developing effective alternatives to violence, including the leveraging of international institutions and established frameworks to hold other nations accountable for less-than-desirable actions
• Defining what "peace" should entail in a particular context, for "only a just peace based on the inherent rights and dignity of every individual can truly be lasting"
• Acknowledging and promoting the value of economics in securing peace, meaning significant investment in economic and social development

With that said, I am disappointed that any discussion on nonproliferation and disarmament was limited to one paragraph, and even then was used simply as an illustrative example of the importance of the first step.

Dr. Ira Helfand at the IPPNW blog makes a good conjecture: perhaps this precise speech was the one that Obama needed to deliver at this precise time and from this precise pulpit. I cannot argue with that.

But I do feel that, considering the backlash the President has received for being awarded the Nobel Prize barely nine months into office, he should have focused more of his time on the goal of Global Zero and why that objective is in direct correlation with the will and ambitions of Alfred Nobel. I think that would have helped the world to understand why he is so deserving of the 2009 Peace Prize. He most certainly has brought about a change in the international climate, and his hard work in restoring America's tarnished image abroad must be lauded. But I believe his initial Nobel nomination came largely as a result of his immediate steps, upon taking office, to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Making that foreign policy objective a cornerstone of his Nobel Lecture would have garnered from the international disarmament community, including this writer, a much louder round of applause.

The Wonderful Work of IPPNW

Many of you know that for a while, I have been involved as a volunteer with the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), a Boston-headquartered global association of doctors, medical professionals and med students concerned about the long-term and health consequences of nuclear explosions. I'd like to take a quick moment to publicly laud their untiring efforts as they continue to work with other like-minded individuals and organizations to champion a worthy cause and work towards global nuclear disarmament. President Obama, in his address to the nation on 11/30, reaffirmed his pledge:

... to secure loose nuclear materials from terrorists, to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, and to pursue the goal of a world without them -- because every nation must understand that true security will never come from an endless race for ever more destructive weapons; true security will come for those who reject them.

IPPNW has been advocating the exact same goal for many years now. In fact, it was the organization's groundbreaking work and relentless pursuit of a peaceful future that earned it a Nobel Peace Prize in 1985.

I am proud to be associated with the folks at IPPNW and all for which they stand. Check out the organization, stay up-to-date on new blog posts from guest writers, and learn more about the organization's nuclear disarmament campaign by following IPPNW on Twitter.

And if you see any posts that end in RL ... well.