Obama Awarded 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

[Beowulf]

The dichotomous thinking of "either you're for us or you're against us" has always been destructive.

Actually it is "Either you are with us or against us." The words "for" and "with" give it entirely different meanings.

 

[Beowulf]

Was the Nobel Peace Pride always in the past awarded for potential rather than accomplishment? If so, then, OK, that's the way it was and is. If not, then what changed this year?

You make it sound like it started this year. Tsk.

 

[Reba]

You make it sound like it started this year. Tsk.

Did it? That is my question.

 

[Jiro]

Was the Nobel Peace Pride always in the past awarded for potential rather than accomplishment? If so, then, OK, that's the way it was and is. If not, then what changed this year?

that was the common approach but if you see my post #16 - it stated that Nobel Peace Prize's original criteria is awarding the most promising potential.. which is why they will award you with one so that you can better prioritize your goal without worrying about money.

 

[Beowulf]

Did it? That is my question.

I am glad Jiro answered the question, since to be honest I wasn't sure. I cannot pick out another name from the top of my head and am not in the mood to madly google. I forget where I read this, but the Nobel Prize Committee said that they picked Obama this year because of his potential for world peace, blah blah, and that they felt three years down the road would be "too late." Whatever that means.

 

[Beowulf]

that was the common approach but if you see my post #16 - it stated that Nobel Peace Prize's original criteria is awarding the most promising potential.. which is why they will award you with one so that you can better prioritize your goal without worrying about money.

Obama said he will donate the money to charity. Honest to gawd, I am not surprised.

 

[Jiro]

in my engineering class - the acclaimed engineering professor said with sullen tone. "you know... you have all these great ideas in your head but... you spend so much of your time just writing proposal and convincing investors to give you money. I'd say basically you spend 60% of your time proposing and 40% of your time inventing it. It takes years though just to secure funding...."

and that's what Nobel Peace Prize is for. 2 years ago - the Nobel Prize cash award was $1,431,424.03.

 

[Reba]

that was the common approach but if you see my post #16 - it stated that Nobel Peace Prize's original criteria is awarding the most promising potential.. which is why they will award you with one so that you can better prioritize your goal without worrying about money.

"In 1895 Alfred Bernhard Nobel drew up a will according to which his wealth was to be devoted to the annual award of five prizes 'to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.'"
The Nobel Peace Prize: From Negotiations to Human Rights

What was Obama doing "during the preceding year?" Campaigning?

If he was nominated in February, how did the committee know what he would be doing in the future to qualify?

Just asking.

It would be interesting to see the list of former recipients, and what each one did to deserve the prize.

 

[Reba]

I am glad Jiro answered the question, since to be honest I wasn't sure. I cannot pick out another name from the top of my head and am not in the mood to madly google. I forget where I read this, but the Nobel Prize Committee said that they picked Obama this year because of his potential for world peace, blah blah, and that they felt three years down the road would be "too late." Whatever that means.

Well, would say, one or two years down the road be "too late?"

 

[Reba]

in my engineering class - the acclaimed engineering professor said with sullen tone. "you know... you have all these great ideas in your head but... you spend so much of your time just writing proposal and convincing investors to give you money. I'd say basically you spend 60% of your time proposing and 40% of your time inventing it. It takes years though just to secure funding...."

and that's what Nobel Peace Prize is for. 2 years ago - the Nobel Prize cash award was $1,431,424.03.

So Obama should use the prize to further his own peace work, right?

I'm kind of surprised that a sitting President is allowed to accept a large cash prize, even if he will be donating it to charity. There are all those sticky rules about accepting gifts for the President and his family (dollar limits, foreign, lobbying, etc.).

 

[Jiro]

"In 1895 Alfred Bernhard Nobel drew up a will according to which his wealth was to be devoted to the annual award of five prizes 'to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.'"
The Nobel Peace Prize: From Negotiations to Human Rights

What was Obama doing "during the preceding year?" Campaigning?

If he was nominated in February, how did the committee know what he would be doing in the future to qualify?

Just asking.

It would be interesting to see the list of former recipients, and what each one did to deserve the prize.

all good question. That's why I questioned this. From Nobel Prize site -

Has X been nominated as a candidate for the Nobel Prize?

Information about the nominations, investigations, and opinions concerning the award is kept secret for fifty years.

Is it possible to nominate someone for a posthumous Nobel Prize?

No, it is not. From 1974, the Statutes of the Nobel Foundation have stipulated that a Prize cannot be awarded posthumously, unless death has occurred after the announcement of the Nobel Prize. This happened in 1996 when William Vickrey died only a few days after the announcement of the Prize in Economics.

Before 1974, the Nobel Prize has only been awarded posthumously twice: to Dag Hammarskjöld (Nobel Peace Prize 1961) and Erik Axel Karlfeldt (Nobel Prize in Literature 1931)

Was Stalin ever nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?

Joseph Stalin, the Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922-1953), was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945 and 1948 for his efforts to end World War II.

Jane Addams was nominated 91 times between 1916 and 1931, when she was finally awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. By contrast Emily Green Balch, Fridtjof Nansen and Theodore Roosevelt received the Nobel Peace Prize the first year they were nominated.

Search the Nomination Database for the Nobel Peace Prize, 1901-1955. »

For Nobel Peace Prize -

Qualified Nominators
The right to submit proposals for the Nobel Peace Prize shall, by statute, be enjoyed by:

1. Members of national assemblies and governments of states;
2. Members of international courts;
3. University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes;
4. Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
5. Board members of organizations who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
6. Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; (proposals by members of the Committee to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after February 1) and
7. Former advisers appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

The Nobel Peace Prize may also be awarded to institutions and associations.

Nobel Peace Prize 2008 - Martti Ahtisaari "for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts"
Nobel Peace Prize 2007 - (50%) Al Gore "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change" and (50%) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Process of Nomination and Selection

The Norwegian Nobel Committee is responsible for the selection of eligible candidates and the choice of the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. The Committee is composed of five members appointed by the Storting (Norwegian parliament). The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, not in Stockholm, Sweden, where the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and the Economics Prize are awarded.


Who is eligible for the Prize

The candidates eligible for the Nobel Peace Prize are those nominated by qualified individuals. See Qualified Nominators. » No one can nominate him- or herself.
How are the Nobel Laureates selected?

Below is a brief description of the process involved in selecting the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.

September – Invitation letters are sent out. The Nobel Committee sends out invitation letters to individuals qualified to nominate – members of national assemblies, governments, and international courts of law; university chancellors, professors of social science, history, philosophy, law and theology; leaders of peace research institutes and institutes of foreign affairs; previous Nobel Peace Prize Laureates; board members of organizations that have received the Nobel Peace Prize; present and past members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; and former advisers of the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

February – Deadline for submission. The Committee bases its assessment on nominations that must be postmarked no later than 1 February each year. Nominations postmarked and received after this date are included in the following year's discussions. In recent years, the Committee has received close to 200 different nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. The number of nominating letters is much higher, as many are for the same candidates.

February-March – Short list. The Committee assesses the candidates' work and prepares a short list.

March-August – Adviser review. The short list is reviewed by permanent advisers and advisers specially recruited for their knowledge of specific candidates. The advisers do not directly evaluate nominations nor give explicit recommendations.

October – Nobel Laureates are chosen. At the beginning of October, the Nobel Committee chooses the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates through a majority vote. The decision is final and without appeal. The names of the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates are then announced.

December – Nobel Laureates receive their prize. The Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony takes place on 10 December in Oslo, Norway, where the Nobel Laureates receive their Nobel Prize, which consists of a Nobel Medal and Diploma, and a document confirming the prize amount.
Are the nominations made public?

The statutes of the Nobel Foundation restrict disclosure of information about the nominations, whether publicly or privately, for 50 years. The restriction concerns the nominees and nominators, as well as investigations and opinions related to the award of a prize.

 

[Reba]

Interesting facts:

Facts on the Nobel Peace Prizes

All Nobel Peace Prize Laureates

 

[Beowulf]

Well, would say, one or two years down the road be "too late?"

Who knows? All I know is that this prize couldn't have come at a better time. Obama didn't even know he was nominated, and I cannot help but feel that this prize makes more people feel empowered than one might think. But that's just my opinion. :shrugs:

 

[Jiro]

So Obama should use the prize to further his own peace work, right?

I'm kind of surprised that a sitting President is allowed to accept a large cash prize, even if he will be donating it to charity. There are all those sticky rules about accepting gifts for the President and his family (dollar limits, foreign, lobbying, etc.).

oh wow. I didn't think of that! a very interesting legal question you brought up!

You know - Obama continued to surprise me. he may be possibly the first POTUS to receive Nobel Peace Prize while working as POTUS.... but what to do with money?

pay the damn deficit!

 

[kokonut]

Was the Nobel Peace Pride always in the past awarded for potential rather than accomplishment? If so, then, OK, that's the way it was and is. If not, then what changed this year?

But why nominate him 12 days in after being sworn in as president? Shouldn't the nomination be predicated on the facts before hand prior to nomination rather than guessing what it may happen in the future as a reason to select him?

 

[darkdog]

that was the common approach but if you see my post #16 - it stated that Nobel Peace Prize's original criteria is awarding the most promising potential.. which is why they will award you with one so that you can better prioritize your goal without worrying about money.

That sounds more like a grant than a prize. Even if that is the case, why give it to Obama? He's the head of the largest government in the world. Surely he has no issue with money.

Hold on... $11 trillion in the hole... $9 trillion 10 year deficit projection...

Scratch that. He needs this thing more than anybody.

 

[Jiro]

Interesting facts:

Facts on the Nobel Peace Prizes

All Nobel Peace Prize Laureates

2 interesting facts -

One Peace Laureate has Declined the Nobel Peace Prize

The Vietnamese politician Le Duc Tho, awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, is the only person who has declined the Nobel Peace Prize. They were both awarded the Prize for negotiating the Vietnam peace accord. Le Doc Tho said that he was not in a position to accept the Prize, citing the situation in Vietnam as his reason.

How many times can someone be nominated?

Jane Addams was nominated 91 times between 1916 and 1931, when she was finally awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. By contrast Emily Green Balch, Fridtjof Nansen and Theodore Roosevelt received the Nobel Peace Prize the first year that they were nominated.

 

[Jiro]

That sounds more like a grant than a prize. Even if that is the case, why give it to Obama? He's the head of the largest government in the world. Surely he has no issue with money.

Hold on... $11 trillion in the hole... $9 trillion 10 year deficit projection...

Scratch that. He needs this thing more than anybody.

it's called "cash award" from its site. but yea you could say it's more of a grant than prize.. depending on situation. If posthumously - I'd say it's a prize since you're already done and living a retired life.

As for Obama's salary -

link

Effective January 1, 2001, the annual salary of the president of the United States was increased to $400,000 per year, including a $50,000 expense allowance.

The increase was approved as part of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act (Public Law 106-58), passed in the closing days of the 106th Congress.

"Sec. 644. (a) Increase in Annual Compensation.--Section 102 of title 3, United States Code, is amended by striking '$200,000' and inserting '$400,000'. (b) Effective Date.--The <<NOTE: 3 USC 102 note.>> amendment made by this section shall take effect at noon on January 20, 2001."

 

[Reba]

oh wow. I didn't think of that! a very interesting legal question you brought up!

You know - Obama continued to surprise me. he may be possibly the first POTUS to receive Nobel Peace Prize while working as POTUS.... but what to do with money?

pay the damn deficit!

Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson got the prize while they were presidents but I don't think they were under the same rules back then.

 

[Jiro]

But why nominate him 12 days in after being sworn in as president? Shouldn't the nomination be predicated on the facts before hand prior to nomination rather than guessing what it may happen in the future as a reason to select him?

Please stop trying so hard to tie it with his Presidency. It's based on his past time as community leader and Senator and probably Presidential candidate.