[Y201K]

Really, choosing Obama as the inflection point for the legitimacy of the prize is misplaced: Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. While maybe Obama didn't do anything to deserve it, Kissinger arguably did do things that should have prevented him from being awarded it.

https://youtu.be/DwGtctUYhRI?t=2475

[drak0n1c]

Kissinger did help avoid western powers vs China becoming another cold war/north korea situation - he was surrounded by others who were relatively much more hawkish. In other areas he created and lengthened conflicts by aiding embattled forces (maybe he mistakenly thought it would benefit the free world, or hasten the end of conflict), but there is a question of proportion - did he create net peace or net war? Of course we can't know for certain had things gone differently. Yasser Arafat was even awarded the peace prize for his change of behavior late in life, despite his decades of fomenting terrorism and conflict, so it is not surprising that Kissinger won.

Perhaps the award should only go to pacifists who have spotless records, regardless of how little impact they may have had?