Lou Xiaobo was just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while China immediately reacted by announcing that the prize committee violates its principles by honoring ‘criminal’ Liu Xiaobo.
The surprising move is trending on twitter and somehow a wind is blowing. This is not a political move or is it? After all Obama was last year’s recipient while both the Iraq and Afghanistan issues are not settled – a year later.
I should have prefaced this post by saying that this is not a political stance.
While mental and of course physical freedom, however one chooses to define it, is – for me – the most fundamental and basic value, this is about a generational and basic antipathy against restriction, oppression and any form of dictatorship. Institutional edifices are going to be rattled by the effect of the wave. However, some things will remain – as usual -unchanged.
I was simply wondering though: How come this year’s decision is so very different from the Obama choice last year? Political motivations, geopolitical games that have to do with the yuan and the dollar, lobbying secret pow-wows that determine the next move on the chess board and the infinite possibilities.
But, one thing is certain: I applaud all the people who have the courage to stand up for what they believe in spite of the pain and the hardship their beliefs can bring on as a consequence… and I am very glad for this year’s choice.
Leda Karabela’s career focus has been building alliances with and among institutional stakeholders, which spans 25 years of experience in international management, public affairs, strategic marketing and philanthropy. Her primary focus has been external audiences, such as opinion leaders, media, customers, and donors.
Today, she is bringing her executive experience into the field of coaching, realizing her passion for people, the ways they click and connect with each other, helping clients discover the power within them to improve their performance, effectiveness and reach. Having held responsibilities for global projects and working with virtual teams in multiple countries for Fortune 50 companies such as BP and Microsoft, she has also led the corporate relations program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and has lived in Boston, San Francisco, London, Athens and Dubai.
