# If not Obama, who should have won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 9, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216 "2009-10-09T18:17:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/41 "2009-10-10T02:39:32Z")
Another candidate I’d like to name is Pope Benedict XVI. He’s humanitarian especially pro-life efforts (the latter which President Obama certainly hasn’t participated in) are quite remarkable, and I say this as a Protestant. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/42 "2009-10-10T02:43:23Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > One moment and the next moment it was a “roadmap to peach in the Middle East”… Do they grow many peaches in the Middle East? Pretty dry, I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/43 "2009-10-10T04:18:59Z")
Who was the lady who was crippled when tortured by the Nazi for hiding Jewish babies? Is she still alive? There are a lot of celebrities that do good honest work in Africa so give it to Bono, Clooney, Bradjalina, etc. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/44 "2009-10-10T12:27:47Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Just curious . . . what planet are you from? This one. Sorry, but virtually all world leaders **promote** peace. Even the warmongers say they seek peace, if only they could finish this one little war. Obama promotes peace while fighting two wars. He didn’t start them but he’s not making an effort to end them, either - in fact, he wants to escalate one of them, fight a BIGGER war, kill more people. If he were to successfully conclude those wars, then he’d be a good choice for the Nobel. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/45 "2009-10-10T13:42:28Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > This one. Sorry, but virtually all world leaders **promote** peace. Even the warmongers say they seek peace, if only they could finish this one little war. > > Obama promotes peace while fighting two wars. He didn’t start them but he’s not making an effort to end them, either - in fact, he wants to escalate one of them, fight a BIGGER war, kill more people. If he were to successfully conclude those wars, then he’d be a good choice for the Nobel. Actually, it looks like he’s seriously considering scaling back the war in Afghanistan. Not sure he will do that, but I don’t know where you’re getting the idea that he has decided to escalate things. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/46 "2009-10-10T14:52:57Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The prize is supposed to promote and facilitate a goal of world peace. Giving it to US Presidents who promote and facilitate peace is exactly the kind of thing the award is intended for. No it’s not. The surprise is suppose to reward work that promoted and facilitated world peace. It’s recognition of work done. Not a bet placed on what might happen. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/47 "2009-10-10T15:15:16Z")
Obama won at least partly because he is not Bush. The world was not happy with the Connecticut Cowboy and his adoption of Texas swagger. He was a threat to any country that got on his radar. Obama is not threatening to start endless wars. The world seems to have been able to take a collective breath because nobody knew what Bush and the neocons would do next. He compiled an enemies list and proudly attacked the countries on the list in some kind of order. Who thought Iran, North Korea and other middle east countries were safe from the neocons. Their rush to get nukes certainly indicates they were not feeling safe. So when we elected Obama the world became a safer place. The world noticed. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/48 "2009-10-10T17:40:17Z")
This raises the question of whether John McCain would have gotten the prize on the basis of not being George Bush if he had won the election. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/49 "2009-10-10T18:17:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > This raises the question of whether John McCain would have gotten the prize on the basis of not being George Bush if he had won the election. Fuck no. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/50 "2009-10-10T18:20:50Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > This raises the question of whether John McCain would have gotten the prize on the basis of not being George Bush if he had won the election. I think it raises the question of whether Hillary would have gotten it. I doubt it. Kucinich, maybe, but hard to say. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/51 "2009-10-10T18:44:05Z")
Of course Hillary wouldn’t have gotten it and I would be surprised if another US President of either party will get it in his first year of office in the rest of my life. Obama has got it because of who he followed but also because of his life story and inspirational vision. That’s not a combination which is likely to recur for a very long time. ``` As I argued on the other thread I do think the award, while certainly unusual, is justified. Obama has already put in place a vision and policy framework which has changed the trajectory of US foreign policy dramatically. It remains to be seen how much fruit it bears but any success will largely be based on the groundwork that's already in place. The award is both a recognition of that and a call for bolder policies. ``` His great achievement IMO is to escape the political straitjacket that has limited past Democratic presidents on national security going back to Kennedy and perhaps Truman. Their policies have been been shaped by an overarching fear of being labeled soft on national security. A President Hillary would have been very much in this mold. With Obama I am more confident that any military action he orders will be decided largely on the merits and not because he is afraid of being called weak. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/52 "2009-10-10T19:19:45Z")
Anyway coming back to the OP somewhat, I don’t have any candidates specifically for this year but I do have a few categories who I hope get the prize in coming years. The first ,already mentioned, is philanthropists promoting peace or development. Bill and Melinda Gates would be an obvious example. The second would be investigative journalists and especially those working on national security issues. Seymour Hersh would be a good example but also lesser known journalists working in countries where their lives are in danger. I don’t know if any of the earlier winners fall in this category but I don’t see anyone like this in recent decades. Organizations like Reporters without Borders should also be considered. Finally in the tradition of Norman Borlaug, an award to a scientist who has done outstanding work which has helped humanity but doesn’t fall in the science categories. Perhaps Tim-Berners Lee? ---
**Author:** ![Anna\_Nimity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Anna\_Nimity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anna_Nimity)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/53 "2009-10-10T19:34:16Z")
I’ll put in the fourth vote for Greg Mortenson ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/54 "2009-10-10T19:39:48Z")
I’ll put in a vote for Hu Jia. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/55 "2009-10-10T20:27:51Z")
I vote for Micheal Moore. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/56 "2009-10-11T03:08:41Z")
Speaking of Greg Mortenson, here’s a 4 minute [CNN spot](http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/10/09/amanpour.afghan.mortenson.cnn) on him and his work. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/57 "2009-10-12T11:10:22Z")
An inanimate carbon rod. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/58 "2009-10-12T14:42:30Z")
[You](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/59 "2009-10-12T18:54:48Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > [You](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html) Different award, but thank you - that’s sweet! ---
**Author:** ![intention](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e95f7d/32.png) [@intention](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/intention)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216/60 "2009-10-13T22:53:20Z")
Alfred Nobel’s will specifies that the Prize should go to the person who did the most for peace in the previous year. That’d be 2008. While I voted for Obama, as far as I can tell he did nothing in 2008 to bring peace to the world. So my vote would go to any of the other nominees, you know, folks who actually did something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-obama-who-should-have-won-the-2009-nobel-peace-prize/513216.md?page=4)