A just war for peace: Obama's key target
Source: Agencies |
December 11, 2009, Friday
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UNITED States President Barack Obama evoked the cause of a "just war" yesterday, accepting his Nobel Peace Prize just nine days after sending 30,000 more American troops to battle in Afghanistan.
However, he promised to use the prize to "reach for the world that ought to be."
Obama became the first sitting US president in 90 years and the third to win the prize - some say prematurely.
He and wife Michelle whirled through a day filled with Nobel pomp in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.
Obama delivered a Nobel acceptance speech that he saw as a treatise on war's use and prevention. He crafted much of the address himself and - at about 4,000 words - it was nearly twice as long as his inaugural address.
"I face the world as it is," Obama said, refusing to renounce war for his nation or under his leadership, saying that he is obliged to protect and defend the US.
Force necessary
"A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida's leaders to lay down their arms.
"To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism, it is a recognition of history."
He laid out the circumstances where war was justified - in self-defense, to come to the aid of an invaded nation, or on humanitarian grounds, such as when civilians are slaughtered by their own government or a civil war threatens to engulf a region.
"The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it," he said.
Obama also spoke bluntly of the cost of war, saying of the Afghanistan buildup he just ordered that "some will kill, some will be killed."
"No matter how justified, war promises human tragedy," he said.
Obama also emphasized alternatives to violence, stressing the importance of both diplomatic efforts and tough sanctions to confront nations which defy international demands to halt nuclear programs, or those that brutalize their citizens.
Quick trip
"Let us reach for the world that ought to be," he said.
Obama was staying in Oslo only about 24 hours and skipping the traditional second day of festivities.
This miffed some in Norway but reflects a White House that sees little value in extra pictures of the president, down in the polls, taking an overseas victory lap while US troops prepare to go to war and millions of Americans remain jobless.
In awarding the prize to Obama, the Nobel panel cited his call for a world free of nuclear weapons, for a more engaged US role in combating global warming, for his support of the United Nations and multilateral diplomacy and for broadly capturing the attention of the world and giving its people "hope."
Echoing the surprise that greeted his win, Obama started his 36-minute speech by saying others who had done more and suffered more may better deserve the honor.
"I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage," he said.
"Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize ... my accomplishments are slight."
However, he promised to use the prize to "reach for the world that ought to be."
Obama became the first sitting US president in 90 years and the third to win the prize - some say prematurely.
He and wife Michelle whirled through a day filled with Nobel pomp in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.
Obama delivered a Nobel acceptance speech that he saw as a treatise on war's use and prevention. He crafted much of the address himself and - at about 4,000 words - it was nearly twice as long as his inaugural address.
"I face the world as it is," Obama said, refusing to renounce war for his nation or under his leadership, saying that he is obliged to protect and defend the US.
Force necessary
"A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida's leaders to lay down their arms.
"To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism, it is a recognition of history."
He laid out the circumstances where war was justified - in self-defense, to come to the aid of an invaded nation, or on humanitarian grounds, such as when civilians are slaughtered by their own government or a civil war threatens to engulf a region.
"The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it," he said.
Obama also spoke bluntly of the cost of war, saying of the Afghanistan buildup he just ordered that "some will kill, some will be killed."
"No matter how justified, war promises human tragedy," he said.
Obama also emphasized alternatives to violence, stressing the importance of both diplomatic efforts and tough sanctions to confront nations which defy international demands to halt nuclear programs, or those that brutalize their citizens.
Quick trip
"Let us reach for the world that ought to be," he said.
Obama was staying in Oslo only about 24 hours and skipping the traditional second day of festivities.
This miffed some in Norway but reflects a White House that sees little value in extra pictures of the president, down in the polls, taking an overseas victory lap while US troops prepare to go to war and millions of Americans remain jobless.
In awarding the prize to Obama, the Nobel panel cited his call for a world free of nuclear weapons, for a more engaged US role in combating global warming, for his support of the United Nations and multilateral diplomacy and for broadly capturing the attention of the world and giving its people "hope."
Echoing the surprise that greeted his win, Obama started his 36-minute speech by saying others who had done more and suffered more may better deserve the honor.
"I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage," he said.
"Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize ... my accomplishments are slight."
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