Obama's Peace Prize brings hope for a world without nukes
12/10/09 | 15 comments
Guest Column

Obama's Peace Prize brings hope for a world without nukes


By Paul Averill Liebow

Today, President Barack Obama, one of the most respected men of our age, will receive the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee has been very clear that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is awarded “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a World without nuclear weapons.”

As president, Obama said boldly in a historic speech in Prague on April 5 that the U.S. has a moral responsibility to lead the world in eliminating the ever more looming threat from these weapons of mass catastrophe. He astutely recognized that our national security demands a dramatic break from worldwide nuclear weapons policies of “mutually assured destruction,” where a computer glitch and “launch on warning” could destroy civilization and most or even all life on Earth.

We came within a few minutes of Armageddon back in the ‘60s when NORAD interpreted multiple radar blips reflected off the rising moon as hundreds of warheads coming at us. Fortunately, a smart technician a thousand feet under the Rockies made the connection. Years later, a scientific experimental rocket launch near Finland was interpreted by Russian commanders as a nuclear launch. Retrospective analysis of the situation indicates that a few Russians somewhere in the frozen tundra violated their sworn orders to “launch on warning,” risking their own deaths rather than ours.

The president said we will now take concrete steps toward a nuclear weapons-free world. To end Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy. We will negotiate a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the Russians and seek to extend this worldwide. This particular Nobel Peace Prize underscores our duty to ensure the new START is a real start toward reducing every nation’s nuclear stockpile to under a thousand.

We will aggressively pursue our ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, after five decades of stalling tactics. Signed by President Clinton in 1996, the CTBT bans all nuclear test explosions, establishes a network of monitoring stations, and creates a protocol for on-site inspections. In October 1999 the Senate briefly considered it and voted no. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe did not vote for it at that time, citing concerns about verifiability and questioning whether the U.S. nuclear arsenal would remain reliable without further testing. Former Secretary of State George Shultz just said some senators “might have been right voting against the treaty some years ago, but they would be right voting for it now based on new facts.”

Worldwide support for CTBT has grown in the past decade. It has been signed by 182 nations, including 151 with nuclear capability. Russia, China, Great Britain, France and all of the United States’ NATO allies have ratified it. Full international legality awaits ratification by nine more countries, including the United States, through Congressional action.

These are indeed challenging goals. It was the United States that led the world to a global ban on the testing, use and production of chemical and biological weapons. We can do the same for nuclear weapons.

As a career emergency physician for over 30 years, I take my membership in the Maine Physicians for Social Responsibility seriously. As a citizen member of a nine member Legislative Joint Task Force to Examine Maine’s Homeland Security Needs after 9/11, and former Maine EMS Region 4 Medical Director, I know of no conceivable medical system that could handle more than a tiny fraction of the people exposed even peripherally to one nuclear attack. The only way to prevent any use of nuclear weapons is to work as long and as hard as it takes, while protecting our homeland above all else.

As the Nobel ceremony happens, it is important to remember that the real prize is the health and well-being of all humanity. Now is the occasion for U.S. senators, including our powerful and respected Sens. Collins and Snowe, to support START and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty as the president moves these important international pacts forward. Voting for these instruments is clearly the honorable and patriotic thing to do.

Paul Averill Liebow of Bucksport is a member of Maine Physicians for Social Responsibility.

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Comments
15 comments on this item
On 12/9/09 at 6:41 PM, MiloCrabtree wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

One of the most respected men of our age? It appears Paul has got a jump on the new medical marijuana laws.

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On 12/9/09 at 9:02 PM, Yesman wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Even the Bamster has admitted he has done NOTHING to earn any such award. Obama's poll numbers are in the toilet - the biggest first year drop in recent history. That's very encouraging as it tells me the smoke is lifting and others are seeing him for the (lack of) man he truly is.

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On 12/10/09 at 1:26 AM, ElectraGlide wrote: Click here to view hidden comment         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
On 12/10/09 at 6:48 AM, Ladyslipper wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

AH Yes "one of the most respected men of our era" Obama, is flying in to Oslo to scoop up his prize and zoom home .....he will not be sticking around to attend the Dinner in his honor or attend the Concert in his honor......his reason?,....get this, he (Obama) doesn't think it would look right for him to be celebrating the peace prize after deciding to deploy 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

.

Paul Liebrow .....Explain why Mr. Peace, Obama, is so in favor of Iran having nuclear capabilities?

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On 12/10/09 at 8:21 AM, Ladyslipper wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

World news

Nobel peace prize

Nobel peace prize: Norwegians incensed over Barack Obama's snubsBuzz up!

Digg it

Gwladys Fouché and Ewen MacAskill guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 9 December 2009 20.00 GMT Article history

Barack Obama has turned down a lunch invitation from the King of Norway. Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty

Barack Obama's trip to Oslo to pick up his Nobel peace award is in danger of being overshadowed by a row over the cancellation of a series of events normally attended by the prizewinner.

Norwegians are incensed over what they view as his shabby response to the prize by cutting short his visit.

The White House has cancelled many of the events peace prize laureates traditionally submit to, including a dinner with the Norwegian Nobel committee, a press conference, a television interview, appearances at a children's event promoting peace and a music concert, as well as a visit to an exhibition in his honour at the Nobel peace centre.

He has also turned down a lunch invitation from the King of Norway.

According to a poll published by the daily tabloid VG, 44% of Norwegians believe it was rude of Obama to cancel his scheduled lunch with King Harald, with only 34% saying they believe it was acceptable.

"Of all the things he is cancelling, I think the worst is cancelling the lunch with the king," said Siv Jensen, the leader of the largest party in opposition, the populist Progress party. "This is a central part of our government system. He should respect the monarchy," she told VG.

The Norwegian Nobel committee, which awards the peace prize, dismissed the criticism. "We always knew that there were too many events in the programme. Obama has to govern the US and we were told early on that he could not commit to all of them," said Geir Lundestad, secretary of the committee.

Although Obama will not lunch with King Harald, he will see him on a visit to the royal palace.

Peace activists opposed to the Afghanistan war are planning a 5,000-strong protest in Oslo.

The visit will test Obama's rhetorical skills as he seeks to reconcile acceptance of the Nobel peace prize with sending an extra 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan.

White House officials said that Obama, who was planning to work on the final draft of his speech on his flight from Washington to Oslo, would directly address the issue of the irony of being awarded the peace prize while escalating the war.

The Nobel peace committee has been criticised for awarding Obama the prize before he has any major accomplishments in international relations.

A White House official said that it was not necessarily an award that Obama would have given himself.

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On 12/10/09 at 8:23 AM, Ladyslipper wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

It appears "Mr Peace Obama" has caused a major amount of discord in Olso......

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On 12/10/09 at 8:24 AM, ConnieD wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Paul - It continually amazes me, that intelligent people are continually duped by Obama!!! Obama's world order, right? Yes, and he will be the leader.

Obama's ambitions are entirely personal, and as he trashes the USA daily, he hopes to step up, to be king of the world. He isn't the first man with such ambitions.

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On 12/10/09 at 10:01 AM, TurkeyTalker wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

In a time when the media puppets tell us the power of the Moderate, how did we elect the most inexperienced, liberal, socialistic, radical the Nation has ever seen. Our Nation weakens as this is typed.

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On 12/10/09 at 11:03 AM, fmrmti wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

So we shall demonstrate our "leadership" and China, North Korea, and every other little country which wants to have us over a barrel will follow suit? Countries that cannot match us economically or militarily (e.g., Vietnam, Iraq, etc.) fight us asymmetrically. Holding nuclear weapons over our heads would be the ultimate case of military asymmetry.

The people who would most love a world without nuclear weapons are the people who work with them. But as a taxpayer, I say to the world, "Yes...let's get rid of nuclear weapons. You first."

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On 12/10/09 at 12:41 PM, EJParsons wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Apparently Mr. Lie-bow has no clue about the meaning of respect. BDN does it again.

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On 12/10/09 at 3:12 PM, ElectraGlide wrote: Click here to view hidden comment         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
On 12/11/09 at 7:57 AM, BeaverFood wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

"One of the most respected men of our age?" Only in his own small self-serving mind. The Nobel Committee has elevated this train wreck to the level of Algore. How can anyone take this crap seriously?

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On 12/11/09 at 9:07 AM, David889327 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

If Obama can resolve the Israel/Palestinian issue, then he will have earned the Nobel Prize. If he can't, things are gonna get dicey.

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On 12/11/09 at 11:38 AM, RalphKramden wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

On 12/10/09 at 6:48 AM, Ladyslipper wrote: Explain why Mr. Peace, Obama, is so in favor of Iran having nuclear capabilities?

Any semblance of sanity and proper debate etiquette just went out the window with that statement. Ladyslipper has nothing of value to say or offer.

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On 12/13/09 at 10:05 AM, Saltoria wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Ralph, it is apparent that you don't understand what Ladyslipper is suggesting. There is always much value in what she says, if you listen and understand. However, if you have your blinders on, it is unlikely you will see the value in anything that anyone has to say as long as their perspective is different than your own. Obama was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize after serving less than two weeks in office. Deserving? I think not! A mockery? I think so!

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