The announcement on Friday of President Barack Obama‘s Nobel Peace Prize win came as a shock to many Americans. Overwhelmingly, the media – and the public – seem to be asking one pointed question. Did President Obama really deserve to win the Nobel?
“It is a bold statement of international support for his vision and commitment to peace and harmony in international relations,” former Peace Prize winner and President Jimmy Carter said in a press statement.
Vision is one thing, but many are questioning if just envisioning peace is enough to deserve a hefty honor like the Nobel Peace Prize. Especially when America is still embroiled in seemingly never-ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For a president less than a year into his term, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize is quite an endorsement to live up to. Whether or not the history books will show the Nobel Prize committee were prophets or political pawns remains to be seen.