“I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds,” stated US President Barack Obama accepting the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway yesterday (10 Dec).

There will be times when nations -- acting individually or in concert -- will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified, he went on and stated that the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace.

“And yet this truth must coexist with another -- that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy. The soldier's courage and sacrifice is full of glory, expressing devotion to country, to cause, to comrades in arms…” he continued.

President Obama stated that a nation have the right to defend itself and that peace is not the absence of visible conflict.

“I believe that all nations -- strong and weak alike -- must adhere to standards that govern the use of force. I -- like any head of state -- reserve the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend my nation…

The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it. Peace requires responsibility. Peace entails sacrifice…. For peace is not merely the absence of visible conflict.”

The world may no longer shudder at the prospect of war between two nuclear superpowers, but proliferation may increase the risk of catastrophe. Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsized rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale, President Obama emphasized.

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 may sometimes be necessary is not a call to cynicism -- it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason, he stressed.

“Inaction tears at our conscience and can lead to more costly intervention later. That's why all responsible nations must embrace the role that militaries with a clear mandate can play to keep the peace … Where force is necessary, we have a moral and strategic interest in binding ourselves to certain rules of conduct,” he said.

Referring to interventions, President Obama stated that America -- in fact, no nation -- can insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves and further stated “it is undoubtedly true that development rarely takes root without security”.