Originally published on the CGS blog on October 9, 2009.
Congratulations, President Obama!
This morning’s announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize is an honor and well-deserved.
The honor is, of course, an honor that American shares. And, while there are naysayers, the award is deserved for the new approach to global policy that President Obama has brought by creating, in the words of the Nobel Committee, the climate in which “Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play.” The Nobel Committee specifically highlights the initiative he has taken to reach out to the Muslim world and to urge nuclear disarmament.
At Citizens for Global Solutions, we work daily with issues of international diplomacy and global institutions, and we can confirm that President Obama’s approach has changed the very nature of the discussions that are held and the possibilities that are sought. Consider the following:
- President Obama embraces a multilateral approach to global issues and shows confidence in global institutions. Putting partisanship aside, many of us agree that this is the best approach to global challenges such as nuclear weapons, climate change and peacekeeping. His support of multilateral diplomacy and global institutions display an understanding that there are universal values that all countries, including the United States, must acknowledge.
- The award shows that ideas and leadership matter. This morning the initial reaction of some is to say that the award is “too soon.” Let’s examine that. President Obama has made clear his embrace of a multilateral approach to global problems. He went to Cairo to enunciate a new approach by the United States toward issues facing the Islamic world. He has specifically stated his aspiration that we achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. These are accomplishments. Many people in his position might not have reached these positions or, having reached them, might not have made these positions public. President Obama’s actions have widened the range of what is possible in international diplomacy. Ideas and leadership matter, and the Nobel Committee is confirming that.
- Americans and others who know and understand American history should recognize that the award of this Nobel Prize confirms that American ideas and leadership matter as well. The ideas of multilateral global problem-solving are consistent with the political philosophy that runs from the Enlightenment, through our Founders, and is seen in the accomplishments of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt. Most global institutions, including most prominently the United Nations, have been established and supported by the U.S. based on political ideas broadly accepted in the U.S. Those who worry about the role of the U.S. in the future of the world should take heart at the Nobel Committee’s tacit acknowledgment that U.S. ideas and leadership are valued on the world stage.
- Finally, let’s acknowledge that the ideas that President Obama espouses and his actions that are being recognized, are fundamentally good for America. Let’s be clear Americans are better off in a world in which peace and justice are assured through reliance on rule of law and universally accepted principles than in a world in which “might makes right.” No nation has the power alone to enforce world peace. We see the limits of American military power, even as the as the U.S. devotes as much or more resources to defense than the rest of the world combined. But nations working together, resolving differences through diplomacy, and respecting principles supported by consensus can make a difference. It may be that the U.S. cannot continue forever to spend what it spends in maintaining world peace. If all the nations of the world shoulder this responsibility together, perhaps the burden can be more easily borne and perhaps more resources can then be devoted to education, health and welfare for everyone.
Robert A. Enholm
Executive Vice President
Citizens for Global Solutions
