Give Peace a Chance

On December 10th the President of the United States accepted the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. This award has been subject of major debate and criticism in the US but for the most part has been regarded positively in Europe. People love Obama on this side of the pond (as seen by random graffiti on Copenhagen train tracks above). I find this disconnect rather interesting.

What does that say about us as Americans when other cultures can see the influence and potential our President has for our future as a global community? We seem to be a nation divided between which side we are on, internally. What we fail to see is that this award, and our President represents an idea, or possibility. That we have the ability to hope and inspire for more. Better relations between nations. A more peaceful coexistence.

The fact that as an American I am no longer afraid to travel internationally and feel safe announcing I am from the US brings me a huge sigh of relief. As an American citizen now living abroad, this is particularly important. Seeing the US from a different perspective (not being swallowed up inside it) has been a rather eye opening experience and one that I hope to take with me throughout the years no matter where I live.