Devaluing the prize
By Kori Schake It’s nice that the Nobel Committee wants to shower the president with approval — it’s a good thing for the United States — but it’s likely to remind Americans that the president is being rewarded for behaving in the world the way Europeans behave. It’s less clear to me that it will ...
By Kori Schake
By Kori Schake
It’s nice that the Nobel Committee wants to shower the president with approval — it’s a good thing for the United States — but it’s likely to remind Americans that the president is being rewarded for behaving in the world the way Europeans behave.
It’s less clear to me that it will improve the president’s standing at home. I keep thinking of the comedian Tom Lehrer’s explanation for why he stopped writing songs of biting political commentary: "When Henry Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize, political satire lost its meaning." That the president received the prize for just being rather than for any actual achievement is likely to devalue the prize.
Kori Schake is a senior fellow and the director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Twitter: @KoriSchake
More from Foreign Policy
A New Multilateralism
How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.
America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want
Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.
The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy
Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.
The End of America’s Middle East
The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.