Neda of Iran

As it had done with various previous prizes, the Nobel committee recognized aspiration when it awarded the 2009 peace prize to President Barack Obama. The circumstances continue to generate mild controversy. As The Washington Post says, the award seemingly has conferred more embarrassment than honor. The Post gently considers the recognition premature.

In his statement regarding the Nobel, Obama said he shares the prize with "the young woman who marches silently in the streets on behalf of her right to be heard even in the face of beatings and bullets." The reference is to Neda Agha-Soltan, the young Iranian martyr who died while protesting rigged elections and other indecencies. The photo of her face, heartbreakingly beautiful in repose, has become a symbol of human courage equal to that seen in photos of Buddhist monks burning in Vietnam and of the East-Bloc soldier who jumped across the wires dividing Berlin.

The Post nominates Neda for the Nobel Peace Prize and laments that Obama's tribute to her did not include her name. The president wants to negotiate with Iran, the editorial observes, and diplomatic niceties preclude integrity. The dismal situation suggests the tension between "diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," as the prize's lofties say in earnest cliché, and the championing of human rights.

The Nation and others have noted that Obama must "earn" the prize by translating his potential into accomplishment.

Neda is our beacon.