Running Head: CASE STUDY: NOBEL PEACE PRIZE SPEECH 1 Case Study: President Obama s Nobel Peace Prize Speech Josh Murphy MGMT560 Ethics in Global Marketplace October 28, 2012 Dr. Roger Fuller Southwestern College Professional Studies
CASE STUDY: PRESIDENT OBAMA S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE SPEECH 2 Case Study: President Obama s Nobel Peace Prize Speech In Felice s (2010) article, it is evident that Reinhold Niebuhr has influenced President Barack Obama in his policies regarding war. Niebuhr argues that reason is always the servant of interest in a social situation and that social injustice cannot be resolved by moral and rational suasion alone; but rather conflict is inevitable, and power must be challenged by power (Niebuhr, 1932: xiv-xv). Hutchings (2010) maintains that today, international laws of war claim global reach and technologies of war also have global reach. Because of this, the ethics concerning war is a topic of great concern toward Global Ethics. The world today is extremely diverse with multiple religions, politics, and governments, each with their own differing views and beliefs. Likewise, there are multiple positions and theories regarding war. Felice proves that because of President Obama s initiative, the United States is taking a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Felice s (2010) article contends that the Nobel Peace Prize Committee believes that President Obama s politics are seen as somewhere between the art of possible and the art of impossible. Obama s Just War Felice (2010) emphasizes that President Obama, like Niebuhr avoids moral absolutes and realizes that the United States is not always right and its enemies not always evil. This is a major change from the George W. Bush administration as the Bush administration continually justified their actions with moral language, such as good versus evil, and utilitarian calculations, such as the ends justify the means. President Obama does not hold the same beliefs of his predecessor in that the United States is always right. While President Obama does argue that, negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda s leaders to lay down their arms (Obama, 2009), he does not believe that all people in the Middle East hate the United States and their allies.
CASE STUDY: PRESIDENT OBAMA S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE SPEECH 3 Additionally, Felice (2010) points out that President Obama believes the concept of just war suggests that war is justified only when it meets certain preconditions: if it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense, if the force used is proportional, and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from violence. President Obama believes that if these criteria regarding war are not met, then the war is considered illegal or unethical and killing is not justified. Furthermore, President Obama references Martin Luther King in Felice s (2010) article by articulating that violence never brings permanent peace as it solves no social problem it only creates new and more complicated problems. It is apparent that President Obama is not of the political position that war should be used whenever possible, but rather only when it is extremely necessary as the repercussions of war often far outweigh the benefits. Felice (2010) further reasons that, The U.S. military is now engaged in nationbuilding programs designed to win over the hearts and minds of the people in Iraq and Afghanistan. These new directions [ ] represent a last-ditch effort to save both operations (Felice, 2010, p. 49). President Barack Obama believes that peace, rather than violent military combat, is the way to bring an end to the war on terror. By winning over the support of the Iraqi and Afghani people, together it might be possible to bring an end to al Qaeda. Conclusion Felice (2010) proves that, while war is sometimes necessary and that the protection of society may require harsh, brutal methods, President Obama is attempting to utilize peaceful methods to end the war on terror in the Middle East. President Obama believes in the just war theory regarding war and believes that war should only be utilized as a last resort effort to
CASE STUDY: PRESIDENT OBAMA S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE SPEECH 4 provide protection. President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize because his political policies have proved useful and beneficial toward war.
CASE STUDY: PRESIDENT OBAMA S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE SPEECH 5 References Felice, W. F. (2010). President Obama s Nobel Peace Prize Speech: Embracing the Ethics of Reinhold Niebuhr. Social Justice, 37(2), 47-60. Hutchings, K. (2012). Global ethics: An introduction. Cambridge, MA: Polity Press. Obama, B. (2009, DECEMBER 10). Remarks by the president at the acceptance of the nobel peace prize. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarkspresident-acceptance-nobel-peace-prize Niebuhr, R. (1932). Moral Man and Immoral Society. New York: Charles Scribner s Sons.