Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize, Discusses Wars

    President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday, defending his ability to seek peace while fighting two wars abroad.

    'We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations--acting individually or in concert--will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified,' he said.

    While espousing the moral standard of non-violence as practiced by 1964 Nobel laureate Martin Luther King Jr., Obama described its limits.

    'But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone,' he said, speaking in the cavernous marble Oslo city Hall.

    'I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world.

    A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.'

    In presenting the prize, Nobel Committee Chair Thorbjorn Jagland justified the selection of Obama, saying that over its centurylong history, the prize has gone not only to those who have spent their lives struggling for peace, but to those who display world leadership toward that goal.

    'Who has done most for peace in the past year? If the question is put in Nobel's terms…it had to be U.S. President Barack Obama.

    'Political leaders must be able to think beyond the confines of realpolitick. Only in this way can we move the world in the right direction.'

    In awarding Obama the prize in October, the committee praised his expressed commitment to nuclear disarmament. The committee recognized what it said was Obama's advocacy for 'a global response to global challenges' and efforts to enhance communication with other nations and the Muslim world.

    美國總統奧巴馬周四接受了諾貝爾和平獎，并為他在海外進行兩場戰爭的同時尋求和平的能力進行了辯護。

    他說，我們必須承認艱難的事實：我們在有生之年將難以根除暴力沖突。有時，各國將會發現──不管是單獨行動還是聯合行動──不僅使用武力是必須的，而且在道義上也是正確的。

    奧巴馬總統領諾貝爾獎后，諾貝爾委員會主席亞格蘭鼓掌祝賀。盡管對1964年諾貝爾和平獎得主馬丁？路德？金（Martin Luther King Jr.）踐行的非暴力道德標準表示贊成，奧巴馬也指出了其中的局限性。

    他在奧斯陸市政廳說，但作為誓言保衛我的國家的元首，我不能只按照他們的榜樣行事。

    我面對著這樣的一個世界，不能在美國人民面臨威脅時無動于衷。不可辯駁的是：這個世界上確實存在著邪惡。

    非暴力運動無以阻止希特勒的鐵騎，談判不能讓基地組織的頭目們放下武器。我們說武力有時是必需的，這不是在狡辯而是在以史為鑒，承認人類的不完美和理性的局限。

    諾貝爾委員會主席亞格蘭（Thorbjorn Jagland）在頒獎時闡述了選擇奧巴馬的合理性。他說，在100多年的歷史中，諾貝爾和平獎不僅授予了那些為了和平奮斗畢生的人，也頒發給了對實現這一目標展現出世界領導力的人。

    他說，過去一年里誰為和平所做的時期最多？如果這個問題按照諾貝爾的標準衡量，絕對應該是美國總統奧巴馬。

    亞格蘭說，政治領導人必須能夠超越權力政治的限制進行思考。只有這樣我們才能讓世界朝著正確的方向前進。

    在10月份將和平獎授予奧巴馬時，該委員會贊揚了他表達了對核裁軍的承諾。該委員會指的是奧巴馬宣稱的"對全球挑戰做出全球反應"和加強與其它國家和穆斯林世界溝通的努力。