Monday, October 12, 2009

Why Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize

by Leigh Barrett
 
Here are some of the reasons President Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize.

I.
The speech Candidate Obama gave in Berlin July 24, 2008. The whole speech!
Obama Berlin Speech: See Video, Photos, Full Speech Transcript
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/24/obama-in-berlin-video-of_n_114771.html
This includes his vision of a nuclear-free world. He was a Senator at that time. See below for his accomplishments as a Senator toward that goal.


II.
In Cairo, President Obama called for a new beginning in the relationship between between Islam and the West. June 4 2009
Obama Cairo Speech (VIDEO): Calls For New Beginning, Gets Standing Ovation
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/24/obama-in-berlin-video-of_n_114771.html

Obama's Speech in Cairo - Text - NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/politics/04obama.text.html


III.
In its Press Release October 9 announcing the 2009 Nobel Prize winner, the Nobel prize committee said "The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons."

In his brief time in the Senate, Obama sponsored a bill designed to cause the United States to make a cooperative global effort to reduce nuclear threats in the world. That 2007 effort needs to be recognized as an early step toward recognition with the Peace Prize.

110th Congress
S.1977
Title: A bill to provide for sustained United States leadership in a cooperative global effort to prevent nuclear terrorism, reduce global nuclear arsenals, stop the spread of nuclear weapons and related material and technology, and support the responsible and peaceful use of nuclear technology.
Sponsor: Sen Obama, Barack [IL] (introduced 8/2/2007) Cosponsors (4)
Latest Major Action: 8/2/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.


The previous year he worked toward a cooperative global effort to reduce threats from conventional arms.

109th Congress
S.2566
Title: A bill to provide for coordination of proliferation interdiction activities and conventional arms disarmament, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Lugar, Richard G. [IN] (introduced 4/6/2006) Cosponsors (26)

Lugar-Obama Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2006, S.2566. Obama was the only Cosponsor on 4/6/2006 when the bill was introduced into the Senate. The term "Lugar-Obama" is in the Senate record. The Lugar-Obama bill was included in the Department of State Authorities Act of 2006, Public Law No: 109-472, and was signed by President Bush in January 2007. This bill/Law was aimed at conventional arms threat reduction.

In 2006 and 2007, Senator Obama had a vision of cooperation in the world to reduce nuclear and conventional weapon threats. That needs to be acknowledged - and was October 9 with the Peace Prize.


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/9/791412/-30+-Reasons-Obama-deserves-the-Nobel-Peace-Prize

3/18/8 - Obama caught world-wide attention for his moving speech on race relations

7/24/8 - Obama lays the foundation for a new era of international relations and began inspiring renewed hope in American leadership during his campaign speech in Berlin

11/6/8 - Obama's victory was hailed as a promise of hope for the world.

12/1/8 - Obama began plans to restore U.N. ambassador to cabinet rank.

1/22/9 - Appointed a Special Envoy for Middle East peace

1/22/9 - Ordered the closing of Guantanamo Bay

1/22/9 - Ordered comprehensive review of detention policies

1/22/9 - Prohibited use of torture

1/22/9 - Signed an executive order to close CIA secret prisons

1/23/9 - Lifted "Global Gag Rule" on international health groups

1/26/9 - Began to address climate change by increasing fuel standards for automobiles

1/26/9 - Appointed Special Envoy for Climate Change

1/27/9 - Signs Lily Ledbetter "Fair Pay" Act

2/1/9 - Expanded healthcare for children by signing SCHIP

2/5/9 - Again addressed energy conservation by increasing standards for appliances.

2/24/9 - Directed almost $1 billion for prevention and wellness to improve America's health

2/25/9 - Initiated international efforts to reduce mercury emissions worldwide

2/27/9 - Committed to responsibly ending the war in Iraq

4/1/9 - Agreed to negotiation of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia.

4/1/9 - Enhanced U.S. - China relations

4/2/9 - Led global response to the economic crisis through the G20, obtaining commitments of $1.1 trillion to safeguard the world's most vulnerable economies

4/4/9 - Renewed dialog with NATO and other key allies

4/5/9 - Announced new strategy to responsible address international nuclear proliferation

4/13/9 - Began easing tension with Cuba through new policy stance

4/17/9 - Secured $5 billion in aid commitments "to bolster [Pakistan's] economy and help it fight terror and Islamic radicalism"

4/22/9 - Developed the renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents.

5/8/9 - Proposed International Affaires budget that included funds to create a civilian response corps -- teams of civilian experts in rule of law, policing, transitional governance, economics, engineering, and other areas critical to helping rebuild war-torn societies; Provide $40 million for a "stabilization bridge fund," which would provide rapid response funds for the State Department to help stabilize a crisis situation.

6/4/9 - Gave historic address to the Muslim World in Cairo - "American is not at war with Islam" Foreign affairs experts insist that Obama's engagement with the Muslim world has been remarkable. "He has been able to dramatically change America's image in that region"

8/4/9 - Used DIPLOMACY to free 2 American journalists from a North Korea prison

9/18/9 - De-escalation of nuclear tension through repurposing of missile defense prompting Russia to withdraw its missile plan.

1 comment:

Dawood Mamedoff said...

Louis Farrakhan: "If you look at Barack Obama’s [diverse] audiences and look at the effect of his words, those people are being transformed from what they were. This young man is the hope of the entire world that America will change and be a better place."

Here I've tried to collect all notable tributes paid to Barack Obama by peers:

http://www.tributespaid.com/category/b/barack-obama