This year's award must be viewed in the light of the prevailing situation in the world, with great tension, numerous wars, unresolved conflicts and confrontation on many fronts around the world. And, not least, there is the imminent danger of the spread of nuclear weapons, degradation of the environment and global warming. In fact, Time Magazine recently described the decade that is coming to an end as the worst since the end of World War II.
From the very first moment of his presidency, President Obama has been trying to create a more cooperative climate which can help reverse the present trend. He has already "lowered the temperature in the world", in the words of former Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu.
The gap between expectations and results is just astounding only to those who drank the Kool Aid and felt thrills up their legs just gazing at his sharply creased pant legs.
On the bright side, at least we know that climate change has been licked on President Obama's watch.
Well, actually on George W. Bush's watch, but I'm in a more generous mood than Michael Moore, so let's give the man something.
UPDATE: Nuclear disarmament--other than our own reductions--hasn't happened either, which was the point of the prize, we were told.
If the president's deal on WMD disarmament in Syria is any indicator, this hope will go unfulfilled, too:
Syria has revealed a previously undeclared research and development facility and a laboratory to produce the poison ricin to the global chemical weapons watchdog, diplomatic sources told Reuters.
Syria has detailed three new facilities to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as part of an ongoing review of the state's toxic arsenal, three sources said.
Oh, those facilities? They count? Huh. Our bad.
Who could have seen that coming?
UPDATE: And this:
Summarizing Israeli intelligence estimates that were previously not disclosed to avoid undermining the Syrians' surrender of their declared chemical arsenal, the official said they had kept some missile warheads, air-dropped bombs and rocket-propelled grenades primed with toxins like sarin.
"There is, to my mind, still in the hands of Syria a significant residual capability ... that could be used in certain circumstances and could be potentially very serious," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Why be shocked that Assad would keep some chemical weapons to bridge the gap until he can produce more?
