Barack Obama surprised and humbled by Nobel Peace Prize

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1 1 Key words Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. sceptical deadline escalate charity inspired breakthrough stable challenge confrontation disarmament A is a discovery or achievement that comes after a lot of hard work. is a situation in which people or groups are arguing angrily or fighting. A is a specific time or date by which you have to do something. is a process by which a country reduces or gets rid of its weapons. If people are about something that other people think is true or right, they express doubts about it. A is a task that needs a lot of skill, energy and determination to achieve. A country is one that is peaceful and in which the situation doesn t change suddenly or become worse. If you a situation, you make it worse or more serious. A is an organization to which you give money so that it can help people who are poor or ill. If something is, it is very special or impressive. Find the information Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. How long has Barack Obama been US president? How much money comes with the Nobel Peace Prize? In which country is the Nobel Peace Prize Committee based? Where did Barack Obama make his speech to the Muslim world? Who is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? When did Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson win the Nobel Peace Prize?

2 Barack Obama surprised and humbled by Nobel Peace Prize Chris McGreal in Washington and Gwladys Fouché in Oslo 9 October, 2009 Barack Obama was as surprised as most of America, and much of the world, when he heard he had won the Nobel Peace Prize. He has been president for just nine months and he is still deciding whether to escalate the war in Afghanistan. The Nobel Committee said it chose Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples and for creating a new international climate. It is very rare for someone to capture the world s attention and give its people hope for a better future like Obama has, the Committee said in a statement. His diplomacy is based on the idea that people who lead the world must lead it on the basis of values and attitudes that the majority of the world s population also share. Obama recognized that many people were sceptical about giving the Prize to a president who had been in office less than two weeks when the deadline for nominations passed. Critics said that Obama has not yet achieved any significant breakthroughs in his attempts to promote Middle East peace or stop Iran s nuclear plans and he is still running a major war in Afghanistan. I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many important figures that have won this Prize in the past, the president said. But Obama said he would accept the Prize as a recognition of the struggles of others for peace, and said it must be shared by everyone who works for justice and dignity. I will accept this award as a call to action, a call to all nations, to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century, he said. He will give to charity the $4m ( 880,000) cash award that comes with the Prize. In the middle of the official congratulations from the rest of the world, the Prize led to an angry debate in the US where Republicans said he had not done anything to deserve the award and called it a political statement. Some conservative talk show hosts described the award as an insult to the former president, George Bush, rather than for any particular achievements by Obama. This is crazy, said radio host, Mike Gallagher, on Fox News. It s all about President Bush. That s the reason for the Nobel Peace Prize. It s because Obama doesn t act like a cowboy. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said that it was not too early to award Obama the Prize. They highlighted his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo and his attempts to start the Israeli- Palestinian peace process, his emphasis on dialogue over confrontation in international diplomacy and his commitment to nuclear disarmament. We want to emphasize that he has already made significant changes, said the Committee secretary, Geir Lundestad. All these things have already taken place and this has already had a very significant impact on international relations. The former UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, described the award as an unexpected but inspired choice. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, thought differently. He has not taken a single step for peace in Afghanistan or to make this country stable... We think this year s Peace Prize is unfair, he said. The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said he was not upset by the award. It is not certain whether the award of the Prize will strengthen Obama s position or weaken it in the United States, where many people are critical of weakness in international affairs. Many conservatives expect the US president to confront unfriendly foreigners who cannot be trusted. Obama has received the award at a time when he is under pressure from US military leaders to send tens of thousands more troops to Afghanistan and when his national security advisers are telling him he should hunt al-qaida in Pakistan. The chairman of the Prize Committee said the war in Afghanistan does not affect the award.

3 The situation in Afghanistan is very difficult but we cannot ignore all the other positive things he [Obama] is trying to do, he said. The award also surprised many liberals who have become more and more critical of Obama for failing to close Guantánamo Bay and make changes in American politics such as recognition of gay rights. 10 Obama is only the third sitting president to win the Prize, with the others awarded to Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in Guardian News & Media 2009 First published in The Guardian, 09/10/09 3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings with the endings to make sentences about the text. President Obama did not expect a. a political statement. He is planning b. win the Nobel Peace Prize. His critics say that he did not deserve to c. his failure to close Guantánamo Bay. The Prize Committee said it was for d. to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Some talk show hosts described the award as e. his work in international diplomacy. Some liberals have criticized Obama for f. to give all the money to charity. 4 Chunks Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text. just for months nine the population of the world s majority two than weeks less rest world the of the challenges of the the century twenty-first on significant relations a international impact 5 Prepositions Complete the phrases using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. hope a better future on the basis values sceptical awarding the Prize the deadline nominations his emphasis dialogue critical weakness

4 6 Two-word expressions Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make expressions from the text international nuclear political peace talk security a. process b. adviser c. diplomacy d. statement e. disarmament f. show

5 KEY 1 Key words breakthrough Confrontation deadline Disarmament sceptical challenge 7. stable 8. escalate 9. charity 10. inspired 2 Find the information nine months $4m ( 880,000) Norway Cairo the president of Iran 1906 and Comprehension check d f b e a c 4 Chunks for just nine months the majority of the world s population less than two weeks the rest of the world the challenges of the twenty-first century a significant impact on international relations 5 Prepositions for of about for on of 6 Two-word expressions c e d a f b