What Does this Nobel Prize Mean?

[Si modo]

The often sidetepped but as yet unrefuted and unchallenged point remains:

This award is a boost to U.S. efforts to gain international cooperation toward achieveing our goals of a safer and more secure nation and a safer and more secure world.

Those who cannot rise above their own personal bias and ideology to appreciate that are clearly placing their own ideology above the best interests of our nation. I suspected as much from SOME posters I've encountered here, but I will confess that I am surprised and disappointed to see it from some of the others.

Good point...

Those who pray for Obama to fail will not even budge to concur that this is a major help to the international reputation of the Whole Country

Not quite. Pick up a Der Speigel, Globe, and other international news outlets and see their disdain for it.

 

[Avatar4321]

Um... we were never at any point standing alone against the world. It's an insult to every one of our 50+ allies who have helped us in the war terror to pretend otherwise.

I am just astounded how betraying our allies in favor of appeasement can be considered a good thing. How does that strengthen our friends in the world? They now know the second things get tough we wont stick with them. Yeah im sure they love that. That's really going to make the world more peaceful.

By the time Bush left office - he couldn't put together an international coalition to help a little old lady across the street. Pretending that isn't true doesn't foster good relations.

In the wake of 9/11 Bush had unprecedented support at home and abroad. He squandered that and wound up with the lowest exit approval rating ever at home and absolutely no credibility or support abroad. He accomplished this by waging the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time and by bullying and blustering his way around the world demanding compliance at gun-point.

Obama has started to repair that damage. And that Helps keep America safer and more secure. It's only a part of the formula - we also need to maintain a strong military and a strong intelligence network.

But rebuilding international friendships IS an important part of the total package.

I apologize. I thought I was talking to someone who was intellectually hoenst.

It wasnt Bush that insulted the British. He wasnt Bush who was mocked by the French. It wasnt Bush who betrayed the Polish. It wasnt Bush who threatened to invade Pakistan.

No, it was the man you say is "rebuilding friendships". It was that man who won the peace prize.

Which of our many allies do you think Bush had bad relations with?

 

[nodoginnafight]

who are china's allies?

China has about 170 allies according rueters including many of world's most powerful nations. The extent and nature of those friendships vary. Rueters may include Russia in that list, but I would question that. But SCO, Burma, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Serbia ...

russias

India, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, France, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan... some would also argue the U.S. and China but I would not.

 

[nodoginnafight]

Avatar, If you believe the world so dearly loved George Bush and were willing - at the end - to support his efforts and that Obama has jeopardized those friendships that Bush forged ..... well, more power to you. All evidence (including this peace prize) points to the opposite, but you have a right to ignore all the evidence if you choose.
Modo - neg rep me for disagreeing with you if you like, but while many around the world may be surprised by this selection, they are clearly responding positively to his efforts to reach out to rebuild and reinvigerorate our international friendships. This award supports those efforts.

 

[manu1959]

who are china's allies?

China has about 170 allies according rueters including many of world's most powerful nations. The extent and nature of those friendships vary. Rueters may include Russia in that list, but I would question that. But SCO, Burma, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Serbia ...

russias

India, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, France, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan... some would also argue the U.S. and China but I would not.

and the us' allies would be......

tell me....why does one need allies.....

 

[nodoginnafight]

who are china's allies?

China has about 170 allies according rueters including many of world's most powerful nations. The extent and nature of those friendships vary. Rueters may include Russia in that list, but I would question that. But SCO, Burma, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Serbia ...

russias

India, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, France, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan... some would also argue the U.S. and China but I would not.

and the us' allies would be......

tell me....why does one need allies.....

Tell you what - why don't we skip through civics 101 and you tell me if there is a point you would like to make. Do you think a nation needs no allies? That a nation without allies and friends is every bit as secure as a nation that has them? Do you really not know what countries America has relationships with? I don't mean to be rude, but your questions seem tedious and tiresome - do you really not know the answers or are you building up to something?
Can we skip right to that something please.

 

[nodoginnafight]

OK - gotta fly - I'll check in at some later date to see if a point has materialized. Have a nice weekend all - even if you disagree with me

 

[Wicked Jester]

Avatar, If you believe the world so dearly loved George Bush and were willing - at the end - to support his efforts and that Obama has jeopardized those friendships that Bush forged ..... well, more power to you. All evidence (including this peace prize) points to the opposite, but you have a right to ignore all the evidence if you choose.
Modo - neg rep me for disagreeing with you if you like, but while many around the world may be surprised by this selection, they are clearly responding positively to his efforts to reach out to rebuild and reinvigerorate our international friendships. This award supports those efforts.

He was nominated for the award just days after taking office. It's quite clear what the commitees motivations were. A greasing of the palm!
If Obama had any balls, he would have stood up this morning and declined the award based on the fact that he doesn't deserve it at this time, but that he hoped his future efforts would merit it, in due time.
That would have been a far more powerful statement to THIS country's citizens, and the world.
Once again, he's opened himself up for justified ridicule. It's further showing his arrogance. It's further showing the amateur side that he's been displaying from the get go.

 

[Annie]

It means nothing since it was awarded for nothing.

Indeed:

PostPartisan - A Nobel for a Good Two Weeks?

A Nobel for a Good Two Weeks?

“Mom!” my 12-year-old yelled from the kitchen. “President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize!”

I told her she had to be mistaken.

This is ridiculous -- embarrassing, even. I admire President Obama. I like President Obama. I voted for President Obama. But the peace prize? This is supposed to be for doing, not being -- and it’s no disrespect to the president to suggest he hasn’t done much yet. Certainly not enough to justify the peace prize.

"Extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples?” “[C]aptured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future?” Please. This turns the award into something like pee-wee soccer: everybody wins for trying.

Scroll down the list of peace prize winners. Jimmy Carter won in 2002 “for his decades [emphasis added] of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts.” Last year’s winner, Martti Ahtisaari, was cited “for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades [emphasis added], to resolve international conflicts.”

Obama gets the award for, what, a good nine months? Or maybe a good two weeks -- the nominations were due Feb. 1. The other two sitting presidents who won the prize --Woodrow Wilson in 1919 for founding the League of Nations, Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 for negotiating an end to the Russo-Japanese War -- were in their second terms....

 

[Wicked Jester]

Lets look at this in TRUE reality.
Obama is in office for 9 months, and it's already merited?
That's a joke in itself.
The reality is, WHERE THE HELL IS REAGAN'S!?

 

[Annie]

Lets look at this in TRUE reality.
Obama is in office for 9 months, and it's already merited?
That's a joke in itself.
The reality is, WHERE THE HELL IS REAGAN'S!?

and the nominations were due 2/1/09. He was inaugurated 1/20/09. Not even two weeks.

 

[potter 58]

hey jester,the world is full of fools, including you if you think Obama would have his drothers would have wanted this, but you blowhard MF's would have attacked him just as bad if he would have refused it! Next best thing was to donate the money to charity, which he did

 

[manu1959]

Lets look at this in TRUE reality.
Obama is in office for 9 months, and it's already merited?
That's a joke in itself.
The reality is, WHERE THE HELL IS REAGAN'S!?

and the nominations were due 2/1/09. He was inaugurated 1/20/09. Not even two weeks.

so innagurated 1.20.09....a tuesday....worked w th and f......then a full week of work

that is 8 business days.....

and in those 8 days the nobel folks found that he desevered this prize ....

"for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/

ya right.....

 

[Annie]

Lets look at this in TRUE reality.
Obama is in office for 9 months, and it's already merited?
That's a joke in itself.
The reality is, WHERE THE HELL IS REAGAN'S!?

and the nominations were due 2/1/09. He was inaugurated 1/20/09. Not even two weeks.

so innagurated 1.20.09....a tuesday....worked w th and f......then a full week of work

that is 8 business days.....

But he is special, how dare anyone possibly say he hadn't earned anything of significance at that point? I guess that actually seals the deal on the Peace Prize.

 

[Wicked Jester]

hey jester,the world is full of fools, including you if you think Obama would have his drothers would have wanted this, but you blowhard MF's would have attacked him just as bad if he would have refused it! Next best thing was to donate the money to charity, which he did

Yes, the world is full of fools. Thanks for further proving it!
No lil' man, I would have given Obama serious credit for standing up and showing he actually had some balls. For standing up and speaking the truth. The truth being that there is no way in hell he deserved the award at this time.

 

[potter 58]

you want bet Jr or especially Dickless Cheney would have kept the money, LOL , what was he supposed to do

 

[potter 58]

maybe Dick the Prick would have figured another way to get deferred compensation, just like he did with Hailiburton

 

[PatekPhilippe]

So many on this board seem to believe that America is "stronger" when we bully and bluster our way around the globe demanding our way at the point of a sword. But that "strength" is not strength at all. Because no matter how superior our military might - we could not stand alone against the entire world.

Our strength lies in our military might COUPLED with our friendships around the world. You can't live at peace with ONLY friendships and you can't live at peace with JUST military might. If you put all of your eggs in just one of these baskets, you will fail.

The fact that I value friendships as well as a potent military means I value a strong and secure America. Anyone who can't support BOTH - does not.

THAT is why people who do love America and who DO favor a strong and secure America should realize that what this award really means is that we are making good progress on at least 50% of the goal. No more - no less.

We hope we can be every bit as successful with the other 50% as well.

I know that it is to much to ask of the hyper-partisan zealots who appear to live and breathe for the sole purpose of tearing down Obama at any cost (even at the cost of our national security) to acknowledge this obvious truth. That's OK, keep whining about what a disgrace this award is and how it wasn't earned and hope and pray that you can convince yourself or others of the validity of your arguments. But do it secure in the knowledge that America is safer and more secure - in part - because of the international goodwill this award represents.

Well...I see you have mastered 6th grade American history. That's where they use the word "ALLIED POWERS" and "AXIS" powers when discussing our wars throughout the entire existence of America. Exactly like the coalition of forces we have in Iraq and Afghanistan.

See? You ARE able to learn the military might coupled with our allies is what allows us to kick the living shit out of anyone who fucks with us.

No one is "standing alone" against the entire world. Diplomacy has it's place but when you are the recipient of a sneak attack then that shit goes out the window. Take your holier than thou peacenik bullshit and shove it!

 

[potter 58]

ah PP, you can't call Jr's Coalition of the Bribed our Allies , when the money he paid them ran out, they beat feet

 

[PatekPhilippe]

who are china's allies?

China has about 170 allies according rueters including many of world's most powerful nations. The extent and nature of those friendships vary. Rueters may include Russia in that list, but I would question that. But SCO, Burma, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Serbia ...

russias

India, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, France, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan... some would also argue the U.S. and China but I would not.

Oh yeah...we know Reuters is the end all expert source for Nations who need allies...Reuters is now doling out allies to China and Russia.
Reuters.."here China..I'll spot you Nepal and Brunei and you give us back Indonesia and I'll give them to Russia."