Noble peace prize became controversial for last two years. Doubts surfaced over whether noble peace prize awardees really deserve it. It is believed in some quarters that the prize became politically motivated.
Last year the peace prize was awarded to the US President Barack Obama. The prize was awarded to Obama only eleven days after he assumed office. This had raised many eyebrows questioning the motive behind awarding to an eleven days old presidency of Obama.
By the time Obama accepted the prize, he announced troops’ surge in Afghanistan by 30,000 more troops. Generally, the peace prize was announced to those individuals who worked for world peace in their lifetime. However, Obama did not have a chance even to think about peace in his eleven-year-old presidency. Moreover, while accepting the noble peace prize, Obama said wars were necessary to establish peace referring to the US’ attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq. He endorsed pre-emptive invasions in his acceptance speech. He went on to say that, the American military action underwrites global peace.
After Obama assuming power, more troops were killed in Afghanistan in short period. Several civilians were also killed on both sides of the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The US government brought immense pressure on Pakistan government to launch internal war on Border States where Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters were believed to be hiding. The US launched several drone attacks on Pakistan villages without informing Pakistan government killing several innocent civilians. Now, with the Wikileaks’ revelations, it is understood that the Afghanistan war will last another 10 to 15 years. Does the peace need decades of bombing, torture and killing?
This year, the peace prize was announced to the famous Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. After this announcement, China severed relations with Norway and put on hold the trade negotiations. While announcing the award the noble committee said that China had to fulfil international obligations on human rights record, as it had become a global player economically and politically.
Article comments
1 - Dan(Miller)
You might want to suggest to an editor that this sentence be corrected:
However, Obama did not have a chance even to think about peace in his eleven-year-old presidency.(emphasis added)
As noted elsewhere in the article, he had been the president for eleven days, not years.
Dan(Miller)
2 - doug m.
Dan, considering the editor didn't even bother to get Nobel spelled right can they be expected to know that a President in the US can't serve more then 10 years?
3 - Alan Kurtz
Obviously he meant that Obama conducted himself like an eleven-year-old president.
As for the noble pizza prize, I nominate Roman Coliseum Pizzeria of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Their extra-spicy pepperoni pie is noble enough for Caesar himself.
4 - Irene Athena
It's a sad irony, Sekhar. 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner President Obama is advised to give a lower priority to human rights concerns, because China owns so much U.S. debt, and it is believed the U.S. can't afford to strain the relationship it has with China. Meanwhile, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Liu Xiaobo sits in a Chinese jail, for standing up for human rights, whatever the cost.
Thanks for writing about this.
5 - Sekhar
@Hi Dan, I'm sorry. I didn't notice it. Thanks for pointing out. Your comment is helpful to other readers.
@Doug, Thanks to you too. It's all my fault. Editor might have concentrated on the content of the article rather than spelling and other grammatical issues. Actually, I'm poor in English. Most of my articles are edited for spelling as well as grammatical mistakes. Unless edited, my articles may appear horrible for you. Some how, two or three mistakes are missed this time.
@Irene, You've picked up an important point. I analyzed two peace prizes separately. But, you pointed out the underlying connection between the two. You are right. Nobel peace prize is becoming subjugated by economic and political interests.
6 - Jordan Richardson
Really enjoying your writing, Sekhar. You're bringing some freshness to the section. Well done.
7 - Sekhar
Hi Jordan, thank you. BC reserves credit for accepting my articles.
8 - doug m.
Sekhar, while not perfect, your English is very good. Certainly better than the 2nd language of many Americans. However, the editor did you a disservice not helping you revise it this article.
9 - Alan Kurtz
Editor! You mean an editor had a hand in this?
10 - RJ
"eleven-year-old presidency" should be "eleven-day-old presidency" ...
11 - RJ
Hmmm...I see Dan pointed this out 24 hours ago...and still no correction...
12 - Baronius
I think that the closer you look at any major award, you'll see the mistakes they've made. A lot of people have won Nobel Peace Prizes for killing and oppressing people then stopping. Sometimes the prize being awarded to a dissident has resulted in a crackdown.
But it is interesting to see the first signs of people not liking China. Guess what, China, it's not that everyone hates America. Everyone hates the big dog. You want to be dominant on the world stage, people are going to hate you.
13 - Ruvy
The day the Nobel Prize was awarded to the murderer and pedophile, Yassir Arafat, it stopped being noble - entirely. It has been a piece of trash ever since, a bauble, a toy to be handed out by the pathetic left-wing idiots in the Swedish parliament ever since.
14 - Ruvy
The pathetic Swedes - who have been covering up the gang-rape of their women and the deterioration of their nation from a nice progressive place to a crime filled slum - are finally getting reality shoved in their faces. A suicide bomber graced Stockholm with murder. Good! About time they joined the rest of us is finding out what shit they support so heartily!
15 - PANKAJ
HOW FAR NOBEL PRIZE IS NOBLE? I NEED SOME LINKS IN CONNECTION WITH THIS VERY LINK.