One more thought on the Nobel Peace Prize

Posted By Stephen M. Walt Friday, October 9, 2009 - 4:26 PM Share

My wife -- who is often much smarter about politics than me -- has a different take on the Nobel Peace Prize. I just got off Skype with her, and she thinks this was the Nobel Prize Committee's way of pre-empting either an escalation in Afghanistan OR a military strike against Iran. In her view, how could Obama launch a war in the Middle East, or significantly raise the stakes in Central Asia, after receiving this award?

If she's right, it would lend new meaning to the phrase "Taming American Power." But as the realist in the family, I'm skeptical. Idealists have been counting on "world public opinion" to restrain great powers for a long time now (remember the League of Nations, and the Kellogg-Briand Pact?) and it rarely, if ever, works. If Obama were foolish enough to think that bombing Iran would actually make things better, I don't think a little embarrassment to the Norwegian Nobel Committee would stop him. And since he's already got the Prize, he wouldn't be blowing his chances for it.

(10)

HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE

SMCI60652

5:14 PM ET

October 9, 2009

WHAT ON EARTH!?

This is all hilarious to me.

Don't get me wrong, I love this President dearly, but what the heck was this committee smoking?

Since hearing about the selction this morning, I haven't talked to A SINGLE fellow Democrat who doesn't have a tongue-in-cheek attitude about the President winning.

I mean we love the fact that the world loves him, but this award and the wording of the press release that announced it sounds more like a slap in the face of the last guy and a "lets give it up for the pushover President."

And the professor is right, the President can now go on to bomb the hell out of Afghanistan, and he'll still be down in history as the guy that won a peace prize.

Don't other 'peacemakers' like Kissinger and Arafat also have peace prizes?

LAME-O

GRANT

5:24 PM ET

October 9, 2009

A great irony of this world

A great irony of this world is that a strong enough person can be remembered as both a peacemaker AND a warmonger. Sometimes for the exact same thing.
As for Obama being restrained by a prize, please allow me to pause and laugh hysterically for a few minutes (leaves to do just this). Now that I'm back, if that's what they were thinking then they really need someone new in charge.

SIR_MIXXALOT

5:54 PM ET

October 9, 2009

Sh*t dog -- we just bombed

Sh*t dog -- we just bombed the moon and our Prez gets a Nobel?! Let's bomb something else and get another!!!!!

NUR AL-CUBICLE

1:38 AM ET

October 10, 2009

Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk

Gee, it the award almost looked like two fingers in Bush's eyes, Three Stooges style. However, the French say that the President needs the support of international civil society and so the Nobel committee thought it would give Mr. Obama a boost and confirm his moral authority.

KENNETH SORENSEN

6:39 AM ET

October 10, 2009

I think your wife's right (they usually are)

You should listen to your better half here. The case is similar to when Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat and Menachem Begin shared it in 1978, and when Yassir Arafat and Yitchak Rabin and Shimon Peres got it. Many thought on those occasions: Why give it to Warmongers from Israel, who have committed so many misdeeds in order to cling on to their impossible and misplaced colony at the shores of the Mediterranean. It was an attempt to encourage the parties to continue talking instead of fighting, cause the Norwegians reckoned it is better to talk than to fight. Given the intransistence nature of this local conflict it didn't work both times, as we have seen.

But it might work with Obama, because it will strengten his image -- and thus Americas -- around the world, making it harder for him to begin or escalate wars. Incidentially Israel (as usual) has the role of instigator for US War efforts in both the Middle East and in South East Asia, and the Norwegians probably have had enough of rewarding various Israelis. (They have seen the famous peace process that bears the name of their capital fizzle out in the sand, largely due to Israeli scubbering.)

There is no doubt that it runs contrary to The Israel Lobby's plans with Obama, but so more reason for us peace-loving individuals to celebrate.

Mr. Obama, if you read this: Withdraw the troops from Afghanistan, now!

________________________

Please take a look at this table of all coalition casualties in Helmand and Kandahar in 2009, the stronghold of the Taleban.

SIR_MIXXALOT

4:56 PM ET

October 10, 2009

Krebs has a good column in

Krebs has a good column in WaPo:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100903650.html

COURTNEYME109

5:29 PM ET

October 10, 2009

Taming American Power

Love the new book cover

SIR_MIXXALOT

12:17 PM ET

October 11, 2009

HOTT!

OMG!
Like, I, totally, just ordered a couple of copies for my students. LOL!

Quote from Madison -- who also wanted to Tame American Power. I trust you are familiar with the Founding Fathers of our nation:

A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defence against foreign danger, have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people.....
Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.
In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people.... [There is also an] inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and ... degeneracy of manners and of morals.... No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.

JOHNMCC

5:58 PM ET

October 10, 2009

If Professor Walt were truly

If Professor Walt were truly the "realist in the family", he'd have let his better half have the final word

Le Duc Tho - the only person ever to decline the Nobel Peace Prize

CITIZEN X

8:52 PM ET

October 12, 2009

preemtive strike

I have the prety much the same opinion
http://theamericanchronicle.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/preemptive-strike/