Looking for Trouble

More reaction from overseas on Nobel Peace Prize for Obama

Responses to President Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize are still coming in from friends and colleagues in other countries. Just a little more food for thought:

From Shahid Shah, a journalist in Pakistan, “I think it is too early to give him the Nobel Prize. We will see the results of his policies in coming years…”

From Ghanashyam Ojha, a journalist in Nepal, “I think the prize for peace contradicts the situation the U.S. is facing in Afghanistan. However, it could help Obama bring peace in the Mideast as the situation, seemingly, has improved since he entered the White House…”

From Maha Al-Azar, a former journalist and now media relations officer at the American University of Beirut, “It’s definitely premature to give Obama a peace prize even though his intentions may be good. Just as we should not penalize people for violent intentions but actions, the same should apply for peaceful intentions. Plus, I read somewhere that he was nominated two weeks after assuming office, since that was the deadline this year. In that case, it’s quite ludicrous, and it undermines the Nobel Prize committee. By extension, all those deserving people who have won the NP are also being harmed by such a seemingly political nomination, as people will likely start questioning the credibility of all Nobel prizes and will start wondering if the whole institution is politicized – allegations that some/many already maintain.”