Novel Peace Prize.

So now they give out the peace prize for good intentions it seems. I do not doubt that President Obama does have good intentions, but if one takes a brief glance down the portrait gallery of peace prize laureates one can not help but notice that they all have some sort of measurable achievement behind them.

It is a fair point to say that throughout its history the awarding of this prestigious prize has caused controversy on occasion- American Republicans questioned the nomination of Al Gore on the grounds that they believed global warming to be unproblematic. Several other recipients of the peace prize in the past have had dubious credentials, but at least they had credentials. At the time of his nomination Mr Obama was in no position to carry out any of his intended crusades, however well-meaning. It even remains to be seen whether or not he intends to increase the number of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan!

I can't help but feel that this is simply a move to underscore the international community's disapproval of the Bush regime, a politically motivated move and a less meaningful one because of it.