Peace be the journey

“What has he done?”

It’s a natural, gut-reaction question to ask, as it’s hard for most to see the tangible results of Obama’s actions.

But a closer examination, beyond the one-dimensional idea that no “peace in the Middle East” means no progress, reveals the changed political climate in America and around the world. In just nine months, the air of supremacy that has clouded American politics, both domestically and internationally, has faded with Obama’s administration.
No longer is the world’s largest political power bound to the ill-will created by a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality. By extending his hand to all international leaders, regardless of their social practices or historical relations with America, Obama has given progression a chance.

His negotiations with Russia and their president Dmitry A. Medvedev have put a coat on the cold relations we are used to. Russia has a great deal of political clout with Iran and the Middle East, and its alliance in nuclear nonproliferation is pivotal.

Domestically, Obama reversed the counterterrorism policies that involved water boarding and torture and promised to close Guantanamo Bay by January 2010. And, lest we forget, prior to his election, Obama represented the progress and struggles of African Americans in a way that no figure had articulated so effectively since the civil rights movement.

Still, beyond the scrutinized accomplishments, there’s the argument that Obama has won the award for what many consider “empty” rhetoric – as many of his campaign promises have not yet come to fruition. However, a better understanding of the criteria and a less shallow view of what the Peace Prize represents would clear that up.

I find it safe to assume that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. epitomizes the type of person deserving of the Peace Prize. However, in his acceptance of the award in 1964 – prior to the passage of the Civil Rights Act or the Voting Rights Act – he said, “I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle; to a movement which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize.”

I show this not to compare the vast accomplishments of King to Obama’s, but because it reflects the same atmosphere as today. The award is presented to those people who are champions of peace and have the most potential for peaceful actions moving forward. The committee not only looks at past accomplishments but future potential, and this Peace Prize was an endorsement for America’s potential to make tangible change on the world’s struggles.

We should be taking this gesture as a sign that America has support on an international level.

The more we focus on “what has he done?” the less we will work toward the ideals he was chosen for.