Earlier this month, when the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced its decision to award its annual Peace Prize to three African women — two Liberians and one Yemeni — Time magazine published online, on the same day, a list of the top 10 among "the most controversial moments in the 110-year history of the prize," giving the pride of place to U.S. President Barack Obama. That has led me to revisit the issue ("Standing army still the prize peace-breaker," Oct. 24, 2009).
To begin with an admission, yes, I was among those deeply moved when Obama was elected president of the United States. After all, this is a country still haunted by the slavery it had maintained far too long and the blatantly discriminatory practices introduced and tolerated after abolishing it constitutionally.
And yes, I knew "change" is the staple in U.S. election sloganeering that does not mean much. During the 1992 presidential campaign, Bill Clinton called for it but he fell flat on his face in his first attempt to effect it: to sweep aside the military's discriminations against gays. The "Don't ask, don't tell" policy introduced as a compromise was repealed only last month — 18 years later.