Obama's Oslo Speech
Danielle Pletka | Washington Post
December 06, 2009

  • Download

Pity President Obama, who, despite impressive attainments at a young age and an apparent comfort with the cult of personality that surrounds him, must surely be aware that he has done little yet to earn any peace prize. Let us not unjustly prejudge him; he may one day merit the prize, but that day will not be in 2009. So he should acknowledge the honor bestowed and his unworthiness by dedicating the prize to those who this year did so much to advance the cause of peace.

There is no shortage of deserving candidates: the people of Iran, who did their utmost to take back their nation; specifically, Neda Agha-Soltan, the young woman who gave her life to speak her mind and whose murder finally stirred the conscience of the Obama White House; or Rebiya Kadeer, the president of the World Uighur Congress, a victim of Mao's Cultural Revolution and a tribune of peaceful resistance and hope for Muslims in communist China.

Perhaps, however, in light of the president's brave decision this week to send 30,000 additional troops to carry out his Afghanistan war strategy, Obama should say that he is accepting the prize on behalf of the men and women of the United States military, who have done more to keep the peace in this world than any other military and who sacrifice every day not to their own greater glory or for pecuniary gain, but for the Stars and Stripes that are beacons of peace and liberty year in and year out, fools in Oslo notwithstanding.

Danielle Pletka is vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at AEI.

  • Download
Also Visit
AEIdeas Blog The American Magazine
About the Author

 

Danielle
Pletka

  • As a long-time Senate Committee on Foreign Relation senior professional staff member for the Near East and South Asia, Danielle Pletka was the point person on Middle East, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan issues. As the vice president for foreign and defense policy studies at AEI, Pletka writes on national security matters with a focus on Iran and weapons proliferation, the Middle East, Syria, Israel and the Arab Spring. She also studies and writes about South Asia: Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.


    Pletka is the co-editor of “Dissent and Reform in the Arab World: Empowering Democrats” (AEI Press, 2008) and the co-author of “Containing and Deterring a Nuclear Iran” (AEI Press, 2011). Her most recent study, “Iranian influence in the Levant, Egypt, Iraq, and Afghanistan,” was published in May 2012. She is currently working on a follow-up report on U.S.–Iranian competitive strategies in the Middle East, to be published in the summer of 2013.


  • Phone: 202-862-5943
    Email: dpletka@aei.org

  • Assistant Info

    Name: Alexandra Della Rocchetta
    Phone: 202-862-7152
    Email: alex.dellarocchetta@aei.org
Show More | See Full Profile

What's new on AEI

image Edward Snowden's leaks are a grave threat to US national security
image Hasty transition would jeopardize US gains in Afghanistan
image Iran's moderate president?
image How to predict the Fed
close

Join the AEI Media List

AEI's press office frequently sends press advisories highlighting the availability of scholars to discuss particular news topics, as well as recent AEI products (such as studies, articles, and testimonies). Please enter your contact information below to be added to our media list.
JOIN MEDIA LIST
AEI on Facebook
Events Calendar
  • 17
    MON
  • 18
    TUE
  • 19
    WED
  • 20
    THU
  • 21
    FRI
Monday, June 17, 2013 | 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Brainwashed: The use and misuse of neuroscience

Join New York Times columnist David Brooks as he engages the authors of “Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience” Sally Satel and Scott Lilienfeld, in a discussion of popular neuroscience.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
The next digital crossroads: Regulating competition in the Internet ecosystem

Please join us for a preview of the revised and updated edition of Jonathan Nuechterlein and Philip Weiser’s influential 2005 book “Digital Crossroads: Telecommunications Law and Policy in the Internet Age” (MIT Press).

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 | 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Economic liberty and human flourishing: Perspectives from political philosophy

At this event, three expert panelists will examine this relationship from the perspectives of influential philosophers such as Aristotle, Alexis de Tocqueville, and representatives of the Scottish Enlightenment.

Event Registration is Closed
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Neighborhood watch: A time to lead in the Americas

This event has been canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

Event Registration is Closed
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Is college worth it?

At this event, Bennett and Wilezol will present their book, higher education finance experts Richard George and Richard Vedder will provide discussion, and a coffee reception and book signing will follow.

Event Registration is Closed
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Is Big Brother watching you?

Join General Michael Hayden (ret.), AEI’s Marc Thiessen, and other leading experts in national security for a panel discussion on the significance of the NSA leaks.

Event Registration is Closed
Thursday, June 20, 2013 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Balance: The economics of great powers from ancient Rome to modern America

Please join us for an event celebrating the release of Glenn Hubbard and Tim Kane’s “Balance: The Economics of Great Powers from Ancient Rome to Modern America” (Simon & Schuster, May 2013).

VIEW EVENT DETAILS
Friday, June 21, 2013 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Washington's ongoing assault on free speech: An address by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

In light of the emerging Internal Revenue Service scandal, Senator McConnell will again join AEI to comment on the use of government power to stifle speech and will propose solutions that protect the individual rights that are guaranteed to all citizens of the United States.  

VIEW EVENT DETAILS
No events scheduled this day.
No events scheduled this day.
No events scheduled this day.