Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

You've articulated what I was thinking today: this prize is not about Obama so much as America's wholesale rejection of Bush. I'm linking to this blog.

Confession & apology itself may be a good start, but I don't believe it's a substitute for results.

Frankly, I'd rather have more NATO involvement in Afghanistan without the bullsh*t ROE restrictions than a Nobel that so far represents "Europe's gold star on the forehead for right thinking."

If President Obama delivers on a reasonable chunk of these promises, he will have earned that prize. But not yet, in my view.

Kinda reminds me of the time during the election when a friend from Canada sent me an email encouraging me to vote for Obama. I politely but firmly wrote back saying "I'm not telling you who to vote for (to elect the) Canadian Prime Minister (although I do have a preference.) So please mind your own business."

Heh. Good one. Brings to mind the concept that if we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us. No fair blaming "them" whoever they are. (Dem, Rep, Taliban, etc.) Why are WE disturbed?

The Grand Strategy: his March speech laid out a strategy for Afghanistan (to some extent, at least) - is the Grand Strategy going to appear over the next three years, as Obama sets out his plans for Iraq and Afghanistan and continues building better relations with other powers? Or is this something he should be articulating already?

Thank you for making a fresh start with the excellent "Twelve Step Recovery Program" (Great Powers 2009: 39-72). My college students and I found healing and hope when reading Chapter Two together in the Spring 09 semester. I feel sad, however, when I hear that President Obama is not supporting democracy in Honduras and has stopped financial assistance to the our best ally in the region. This goes against Step 10 toward global health. Plus, some Democrats, namely, Reid, Pelosi, and Obama, are not allowing the Republicans or the general public to read the final version of HR 3200. This is the contrary opposite of Step 2 for national and global health. Lastly, President Obama's failure to support the troops in Afghanistan goes against Step 12, the need to "shrink the gap" and the repulsive quote from Zabiullah Mujahid: ""This is another victory for Taliban." Thus, as my students and I discovered when reading Great Powers, Step 3 seems to be the most valuable -- a "collectively defined... grand strategy."

Phil,

Sometimes it's just because we're not smart enough to figure out how and why we fuck things up so royally.

Just because we're powerful doesn't make us smart. It just means that bad news tends to circle back slowly--out of deference for our capacity to harm.

The bully never thinks he's being an asshole, because he never hears anything to that effect.

I feel bad for the right. NOBAMA will now come to mean Nobel Obama, perhaps then morph to Noble Obama.

I read an opinion piece in the WSJ that the award heralded the end of American exceptionalism. I say that it is an award for the beginning of American magnanimity.

Si, se puede.

David, Alfred Nobel's will outlined the grounds on which the Peace Prize was to be given, "it should go annually to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses."

It is not a results based award.

@Tom,

The spiritual axiom - If we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, then there is something wrong with us - came to mind when I first heard the news. Why was I so outraged by the Nobel committee's actions?

The problem was with me. Personal political opinions inside my brain. It's not Obama. It's not some Nordic dudes. It's me that is causing the disturbance in my brain. I didn't vote for the guy. I don't agree with the guy on many things. Maybe I'm jealous on a personal level. Many other possibilities exist. But they are all self-inflicted by me. On me.

I hope Obama produces Great Things does because it means wonders for real humans in many places. Humans that you and I will never meet. And by wonders I mean the stuff that you and I know intimately -- providing a warm, dry place for our kids to sleep at night, a decent education, a full belly. These are great things. Prizes named after dead guys !== great things.

Thanks for the blog.

I am afraid that Obama (with the help of advisors and congress) has some pretty awful screw-ups in the making so his admiring public had better give him kudos and awards for good-sounding intentions and some progress while it is still reasonable to do so. I can join his public in wishing that a reformed better-informed Obama will ultimately take right actions (See: PNM, BFA, GP) and truly merit these and other awards.

Tom,

My initial knee jerk reaction was, shall we say, less than polite.
Upon review the award makes sense and is a compliment to the perceived change in attitude by the global community of the US to start any dialogue with, "What happened?", and be polite enough to listen to the response.

Let us hope that he can "earn it" to borrow the quote Stuart used.

"it should go annually to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses."

"done" not 'said'. I really do want to see results from Mr Obama's initiatives, even those I don't agree with.

"So when you step out of the American perspective, you understand just how much the world appreciates the shift he's accomplished in such a short time--and at such a dangerous time."

The problem here is that much of the World, especially in Western Europe, has a schizophrenic view about how to defend freedom and globalization....it is that rotten moral equivalence that poisons their thinking as much as we, the US, think we can save the world alone.

I disagree...we live in a world of asses....it's just that the US isn't as rotten at all, and we are the exception in that we really snowballed the neoliberal idea...we always get put down by the pussies who want to do nothing to shrink the gap...but true, the assholes are pigheaded on how to do so (this is actually an adaptation from Team America:World Police)....they think only the military matters.

Some of the personal and political attacks on Obama claim his followers and much of the public see him as a second Jesus type savior. While that angle is gross, there can be some value to reviewing Jesus' story for lessons for some Obama followers.

One of the main problems Jesus had was getting the follower crowds to hear his own message and perspective on a needed humanity transformation rather than their own military, power and ideology interpretations. He corrected them sometimes, disappeared for awhile after other excessive reactions to his words and his helping hurt people by miracles. The Palm Sunday dumb public demonstration seemed like the start for his public power transformation in the context of their mistaken ego orientations. Instead it started the process that turned Roman and Jewish authorities to seek his destruction rather than understand and adapt to his message. Judah then betrayed Jesus either as anger that Jesus did not act as he wanted, or to force Jesus to act as he wanted. So Obama followers should spend more time reflecting on the meaning of Obama's desired transformations, and how they should themselves adapt as individuals rather than promote a 'heroic' power struggle.

On the other hand, Obama should be more open on areas of doubt and uncertainty rather than seeming to always be certain about the correctness of his goals and actions. We are ready to use Jesus and Mother Teresa as human models to which we can adapt our own lives because both these individuals showed times of anxiety on their own efforts which were overcome by Faith rather than self certainty.

This was a much better discussion (and post) than the first reaction earlier in the day. Again, "stunning" was the word, so absorption comes slowly.

But getting all this out did help with the column, which I'm proud of.

You know, Americans love to self congratulate but we take compliments badly! So maybe we get some learning from this, if we choose, as Mark said above, to start and/or continue the dialogue.

I know it is hugely tempting to say things were better way back when we ruled the world with ease, but frankly, almost nothing was better back then and it's all so much better now, and I mean that on a global scale vice just our own comforts.

And we need to view the world more in that way.

Personally, I'd rather get the "thank you" from BRIC and the other up-and-comers than from Old Europe.

I don't think we have much of anything to apologize to Europe for. The rest of the world, particularly the historically "non-aligned" countries -- absolutely.