 Diplomacy Expert Ettinger: Obama Nobel 'Very Curious'Tishrei 22, 5770, 10 October 09 10:21 by Gil Ronen(Israelnationalnews.com) Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to U.S President Barack Obama was a “very curious” decision, according to former Israeli envoy in Washington Yoram Ettinger. “Obama has no achievement which justifies the awarding of the prize,” Ettinger told Arutz Sheva's Hebrew service. "In the international arena, Obama has failed thus far, both in the struggle against Iran which is constantly threatening and ignoring his calls, and regarding North Korea which is also hurling insults at him and continuing to threaten world peace,” Ettinger said. “As for Al Qaeda – the fighting in Afghanistan is getting fiercer since he entered the White House and the situation in Iraq has not improved. In addition, [Russian strongman Vladimir] Putin is advancing his aspirations which threaten the republics.” In the Israeli-Arab arena, the former diplomat noted, Obama has had no achievements either. “Obama has succeeded in making the Arabs' unrealistic expectations of Israel even more extreme,” he explained. "The only reason I can give for such strange awarding of the prize is that political considerations have taken over the award process,” Ettinger said. “They see Obama as the president who intends to (…) be guided more by a world view which is favored in the U.N and Europe, a world view that is shared by the leaders in the Nobel award committee.” "When they see him diving in U.S opinion polls they hope to improve his standing,” he explained. © Copyright IsraelNationalNews.com Subscribe to the free Daily Israel Report - israelnn.com/subscribe |
Tishrei 21, 5770, 10/9/2009
Obama's Ignoble Prize
by Michael Freund
Obama has done what? Given a couple of flowery speeches?
In a surprise announcement, the Noble Prize Committee declared today that it was awarding US President Barack Obama the 2009 Noble Peace Prize, despite his having been in office for a mere 8 months.Needless to say, the announcement was met with a lot of head-scratching. After all, just what exactly has Obama accomplished to warrant such an award?
Consider the following: only two previous sitting US presidents have won a similar accolade. In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt won the Noble Peace Prize for helping to broker an end to the bloody war between Russia and Japan, while in 1919, Woodrow Wilson got it for his famous 14 Points Peace Plan and for helping to establish the League of Nations.
By contrast, Obama has done what? Given a couple of flowery speeches?
The Noble Committee has once again undermined its own reputation, as well as the cause of international peace, by giving a highly undeserving Obama this most prestigious of awards.
Whatever one thinks of Obama and his politics, there is little doubt that his first year in office has been marked by sharp disappointment and a stellar lack of achievement, as his steadily faltering poll numbers clearly attest.
If anything, the Committee should have awarded the Peace Prize to none other than George W. Bush, whose war on terror and courage in confronting militant Islamic jihadism, made him a far more worthy candidate.
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