Obama awarded Nobel Peace Prize
President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize by the Nobel Committee on Friday, Oct. 9 in Oslo, Normany. Obama received this honor for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” People everywhere were shocked after hearing the unsuspected announcement, as well as the Obama administration where top advisers had no idea Obama would be awarded. Many argue that Obama is undeserving of the honor of a Nobel Peace Prize as many of his goals have not yet been accomplished.
U.S. produces unsatisfying results with Afghanistan progress
The Obama administration recognized that the United States has not yet met the goals it had made for progress in Afghanistan on Friday. The current conflict Obama is dealing with is whether or not to send more troops to Afghanistan, where the country is still suffering from a corrupt government and legal system. Although President Obama stated seven months ago that he hoped to deploy an additional 17,000 American troops, the country is now more dangerous than ever. In fact, aid workers are limited to stay inside the capital, Kabul, for safety reasons. The administration has had a challenging time determining the progress of the conflict in Afghanistan, but they’re having an even more difficult time determining the future of our involvement with the situation.
China makes efforts to halt North Korea’s nuclear weapons program
China’s prime minister, Wen Jiabao, was given an unusually warm welcome from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il after arriving to South Korea to discuss halting North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, an issue that has brought fear to the entire world. When the two met on Monday, North Korea stated that it was ready to return the six-nation talks on ending its nuclear program, but only if it saw progress in bilateral talks with the United States. In previous months, North Korea had insisted that it would never return to the talks demanded by the U.S. The progression in peace came after China signed a series of agreements that guaranteed aid for the North and an expansion in economic exchanged. The two governments also promised to support each other “for generations to come.”
U.S. gets involved to end mass killings and rapes in Guinea
The Obama administration sent a senior diplomat to protest the mass killings and rapes that have taken over Guinea last week. The human rights officials have estimated that as many as 157 people died after an opposition rally on Sept. 28. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for “appropriate actions” against a military government that she said “cannot remain in power.” On Monday, William Fitzgerald, deputy assistant secretary of state, met with Guinea leader, Captain Camara, to insist that the Captain was responsible for the acts of violence and to insure that he should not run in the upcoming elections. However, the response from Captain Camara was “noncommittal,” Fitzgerald said.
