We have seen reactions from just about everywhere in the world on the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to president Obama.
How about from Norway where its Parliament appoints the Nobel Committee that selects the Laureate for the Peace Prize?
Yesterday, the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen presented a Norwegian view.
In “A Bold Peace Prize,” translated at Watching America (watchingamewrica.com), the author, Ivar A. Iversen, says that “Obama’s peace prize could be difficult to defend in the coming months.”
While stating that there are certainly arguments for the award, and recognizing it as “symbolic” and “forward-looking,” the author also worries about how the award will be seen when Obama makes certain decisions that “may not look so good in relation to the will of Nobel.”
Iversen lists several such concerns and concludes:
The Nobel Peace Prize can give Obama’s work more momentum. But one cannot deny that it will be more of a problem when facing domestic opposition and opinion.
This is without a doubt a very bold award. It could prove to be forward-looking. But it could also be difficult to defend in the months ahead.
An interesting view from Norway.
Note: The Nobel Peace Prize is the only Nobel Prize not presented in Stockholm, Sweden.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.