Many have expressed surprise that the Nobel Committee would make this choice so early in the President’s term.  Perhaps I am less surprised than others as I attended a Fulbright Scholarship reception at the Nobel Institute some weeks ago. The incoming American Fulbright scholars were being welcomed to Norway and Geir Lundestad, the Secretary of the Nobel Committee, was a keynote speaker.  Mr. Lundestad is a former “Fulbrighter” and was asked to reflect on his experiences and give the Americans an idea of what to expect. Mr. Lundestad, always a dynamic and entertaining speaker, gave a good account of his time in the States.  Then the topic turned to how the American scholars should expect to be confronted with explaining the actions of the last Administration.  A Chairman of RAN I am used to the disagreement with the Bush “doctrine” but I was surprised at the amount time Mr. Lundestad used on this point. 

It brought back memories of Norwegian views on previous Republican Administrations, and I can clearly remember the US Embassy being stormed by protesters. The issue was the US deployment of Pershing and cruise missiles in NATO in response to Soviet Union’s deployment of SS-22 medium range nuclear armed missiles.  The President was Ronald Reagan and he was roundly condemned by both Norwegian press and political establishment. In particular Gro Harlem Brundland, the former Prime Minister, head of the Labour Party and later to be head of the WHO, stated Reagan’s were destabilizing and dangerous.  This view was also the result of Reagan’s earlier pronouncement that the Soviet Union was an “evil empire”. 

What is now history and remembered in Norway is Reagan’s declaration “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” which led to the freedom for 100 million Eastern Europeans. While Mr. Reagan never received the Nobel Peace Prize, it is generally acknowledged that his willingness to confront a repressive, aggressive and belligerent regime was the turning points that lead to a unified and generally peaceful Europe.  What is less remembered is Mr. Reagan’s policies also lead to a removal of 80% of all strategic nuclear weapons then in existence through the START treaty.

The Nobel Committee has awarded President Obama for choosing a different doctrine, one the Committee describes with its declaration “Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations.”  Whether this doctrine will lead to peace and prevent nuclear proliferation remains to be seen.  We should all hope for the success of President Obama’s doctrine and we can hope that by receiving the Nobel Prize, Mr. Obama has greater leverage on the world stage. The validity of President Obama’s doctrine will be determined by history.

Ken Burton

Chairman, RAN