The Nobel Peace Prize has long been used as a tool to pacify the politics. Probably the least credible of the Nobel Prizes, I feel as there has been a long standing preference for American politicians who are the least deserving.
How many people do we know who are much more capable and who demand a Global Achievement just for their great achievements. I would say the credibility of the award grew in my eyes when Muhammed Yunus was recognized for his great achievements. There have been tremendous who miss out. I know Mahatma Gandhi stands out because of his sheer stature. But it’s believed that his teachings percolated slower to the west and most obviously because he was Anti- British.
Some real achievements by social workers in India such as Baba Amte and Vinobha Bhave, people who worked so hard for leprosy eradication and religional harmony deserved much more. Our very own Bharat Ratna has been used abused and misused by various governments of the past. The Magsaysay award has in that sense identified real deserving awardees.
But why Obama?
Here is a man who leads a country with troops all over the world with no promise of a withdrawal. He has had a bucket list of promises but nothing that’s close to reality. The world truth has been that all awards are always on achievements rather than promises. But this is a shocking annihilation of any such theory. It’s just an elevation of a stated achiever to cult status without any delivery on promise. Hope Obama sees the award as an incentive to fulfill rather than sit back and wait as he has while handling the financial crisis where his performance has been just about average.
