Nobel Prizes

The cash prize for winning a Nobel Prize is significant to most people and especially valuable for scientists who invest much into technology and materials for their work. Awarded in Swedish Kronors the cash payout exceeds 1.4 million US dollars in value. Evidently the fortunes made from inventing dynamite allowed Alfred Nobel considerable wealth to leave behind such a legacy. It's remarkable that his will persists as an international phenomenon. Unfortunately I have long thought the prizes dubuious and not providing adulation for the most deserving. The fact that a bank created its own version of the prize and boldly named it The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel says something about the validity of prizes awarded by small committees in Europe.

This year President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize. According to the official announcement, Obama was recognized for his opinions on multilateral diplomacy, nuceal disarmament, anda global perspective. It was a whole-hearted endorsement:

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman.

For his part, Obama wisely used the words 'surprised' and 'humbled' to respond to this announcement. What else could he say? It's not a contest one willingly enters, it's a nomination process behind closed doors. Maybe they want him to come speak and sign books. Whatever the reasons, it's neither relevant nor too interesting. Woodrow Wilson might have been the most intelligent President and his winning the Nobel Peace Prize in the wake of World War I did not help him promote the League of Nations domestically nor promote his 14 Points internationally. Wilson won his Nobel Prize and life went on as usual, as will Obama's presidency. Winning awards never hurt, but in no way assure an easier path nor greater scope of influence. Have you ever heard of Martti Ahtisaarim the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner? Check out the European bias on the database online: http://nobelprize.org/nomination/peace/country.html (no Chinese but 62 Russians).