Written By Staff Writer
Nghia Nguyen

PeacePrize/Obama

In Oslo, Norway, on October 9, 2009, the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided that President Barack Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, “For his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision and work for a world without nuclear weapons.” Shortly after winning the prize, President Obama made the decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. A few days after receiving his Nobel Peace Prize, Obama ordered multiple cruise missile attacks on Northern Yemen.

Captain Koziara, the head of the Reserved Officer Training Corp. (ROTC ) program at The High School of Commerce, and Leo Pease, a student at The High School of Commerce, do not think President Obama deserved the Nobel Peace prize. Pease said, “I think that the Nobel Peace prize has yet to be earned by Barack Obama. So far, he hasn’t done enough or anything to deserve it.” Captain Koziara stated, “It was a political move that had nothing to do with the Nobel Peace Prize.” He said that the prize was given to him as a preemptive move to get Obama to live up to the prize’s reputation.

On December 1, 2009, President Obama announced that he plans to send 30,000 more U.S. troops into Afghanistan. He states, “As Commander-in-Chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. After eighteen months, our troops will begin to come home… I do not make this decision lightly. I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

Due to Obama’s announcement there were protests near Highland Falls, N.Y., the International Action Center in L.A., and at Times Square, N.Y. Most of the speakers protesting at Times Square denoted that they do not believe that troops will begin to leave Afghanistan in 2011. During a short assembly, a representative of the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice (MECAWI) said, “People who voted for Obama wanted a ‘real jobs’ program, health care, and new foreign and domestic policy for the U.S. Instead it is still the Pentagon and Wall Street that are setting policy for the government.” The representative of MECAWI emphasizes that voters did not vote for Obama to broaden existing wars. They voted for him to give “real jobs” to their children, better healthcare, and “new foreign and domestic” policies.

Though many people disapprove of Obama’s war plan, Jonas Gahr Store, Norway’s foreign minister, supports Obama’s decision. He said, “We are pleased that the US intends to place greater emphasis on protecting the civilian population and on its civilian capacity-building.” Mr. Store continued with, “It is capacity-building of this kind that can pave the way for a gradual scaling down of the international military presence in the country.” Currently, Norway has 515 troops in Afghanistan and provides $130 million to the development of Afghanistan.

HYPERLINK “http://www.nytimes.com” www.nytimes.com
HYPERLINK “http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-obama-afghan4-2009dec04,0,4528982.story” http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-obama-afghan4-2009dec04,0,4528982.story
HYPERLINK “http://www.workers.org/2009/us/protests_1217/” http://www.workers.org/2009/us/protests_1217/
HYPERLINK “http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/press.html” http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/press.html
HYPERLINK “http://article.wn.com/view/2009/12/21/Obama_Nobel_peace_prize_in_hand_bombs_Yemen_with_cruise_miss/” http://article.wn.com/view/2009/12/21/Obama_Nobel_peace_prize_in_hand_bombs_Yemen_with_cruise_miss/