The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture

I have mixed feelings about Carter's Nobel Prize. Actually he should have won the Nobel Prize for the Israeli- Egyptian peace agreement. Egyptian President Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister were then given the prize. Carter who brokered the agreement certainly deserved it. About the Carter Center activities I am not well - informed, though I am deeply troubled by former President Carter's Middle East position in recent years. He has strongly tilted towards a pro- Arab stance, and his words of condemnation are not for the suicide-bombers but for the one democracy in the region. The speech itself tells President Carter's story in brief. It expresses the ideals for which he stands, most of which are noble. He is very worried about the gap between rich and poor. He is concerned about the nuclear arms situation. He is troubled about the wise use of American power. He holds out a hope of future Peace for mankind. He speaks of his Christian faith. However in recounting his own story he does not point out that it was on his watch that the radical Islamic Revolutionary regime in Iran came to power, and strongly humiliated the United States. He does not hint at condemnation at the role Iran has played in spreading terror in the world since that day. He also does not in discussing the world situation touch upon a whole host of areas and nations where conflicts are going on. There is not in this an overwhelming rhetoric or the kind of powerful voice one of Carter's great heroes, Martin Luther King Jr. could supply. There is however a call for a better world and a more peaceful one. And this is done in a tone which is quiet, modest and humane.

"The Nobel Prize Lecture," by Jimmy Carter, is a short volume--the lecture and supplemental materials total 32 pages. In the lecture Carter recalls his service as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy, as well as his service as the U.S. Commander-in-Chief "during the height of the Cold War." Carter notes with irony that "the world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place" after the end of the Cold War, and he also warns against "a principle of preventive war." He notes further, "War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good." The Nobel laureate briefly mentions the work of the Carter Center and also states his belief that "the most serious and universal problem" facing the world "is the growing chasm between the richest and poorest people on earth." The former president pays tribute to many individuals, including Anwar Sadat, Yitzhak Rabin, Andrei Sakharov, George C. Marshall, Desmond Tutu, Aung San Suu Kyi, and his own wife Rosalynn. I was especially moved by Carter's expression of faith that human beings of differing religions are capable of joining together in a common quest for peace. I did not find anything really groundbreaking or monumental in this lecture. But it is a genuinely inspiring testament by a leader with a truly global vision.

This is what it says it is, Jimmy Carter's Nobel Prize Lecture. It's brief. Carter doesn't really say much of anything in it, but he doesn't make a fool of himself. He's a great humanitarian, and this is his Nobel lecture. read it and enjoy

This short, yet important work of President Jimmy Carter presents a glimpse at his thoughtful wisdom. I whole heartedly recommend Carter's lecture to anyone interested in the 39th president and his keen sense of social justice. I wouldn't necessarily recommend buying the lecture because it is available for free online (at the Nobel website), and the price is a bit much for twenty pages (which is why I only gave it four stars). However, it is indeed a beautiful book and would make a great gift; plus, all the author's proceeds are being donated to The Carter Center. Ultimately, whether you choose to buy it or read it online, I assure you that reading this touching lecture will be well worth your time.

Once again, the sage wisdom of Jimmy Carter is revealed in his words of wisdom about war and peace. This should be required reading for everyone in the White House and the Pentagon.