Former President Barack Obama has been awarded yet another prize for his commitment to “peace,” though this time it’s not the Nobel, it’s the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope award, bestowed for Obama’s “work toward a more peaceful and just world.”
The Daily Caller reports that the center announced Obama as the award recipient Monday night, but that no mention was made of Obama’s long and storied history of drone strikes (one occurred approximately every half hour of his presidency, at least in his second term), or his larger foreign policy narrative.
We are honored to present @BarackObama with our 2018 Ripple of Hope Award. #RFK50 pic.twitter.com/7MEAZ5vwOs
— RFK Human Rights (@RFKHumanRights) August 6, 2018
Obama responded by crediting Robert F. Kennedy with inspiring his own political ambitions.
“Bobby Kennedy was one of my heroes,” Obama tweeted in response to the announcement. “He was someone who showed us the power of acting on our ideals, the idea that any of us can be one of the ‘million different centers of energy and daring’ that ultimately combine to change the world for the better.”
The DC notes that Obama has fallen under harsh criticism for human rights violations that occurred under his tenure as president. One report from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism even claims that covert drone strikes killed more than 1,000 civilians during his presidency. His lack of leadership in Iraq and Afghanistan left vacuums of leadership in the Middle East that created desperate situations that may have led to more bloodshed.
Obama will receive the award at a gala later this summer.