The question of the Obama Doctrine once more came to the fore in connection with his acceptance speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo in December 2009 . The awarding of the peace prize drew a mixture of praise and criticism from all sides of the political spectrum . Obama took the opportunity of the speech to address some of this criticism , and argue for the occasional use of force in international relations . " 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 , " he said . According to John Dickerson of '' Slate '' , the President silenced his conservative critics who have labelled him as weak , while maintaining an insistence on diplomatic engagement . The speech was generally well received , and was praised by conservative figures in American politics , including Sarah Palin , Newt Gingrich and John Boehner
awarding
2009 Nobel Peace Prize
Obama Doctrine