On Oct. 12, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that the European Union had won the Nobel Peace Prize. While praised by some, the decision is also seen as the most recent in a trend of politically motivated awards given by the Nobel Committee.
It's a bit disappointing to see an award meant to recognize the efforts of an individual or organization in promoting peace reduced to a political tool. The last Peace Prize awarded just to an organization was for Doctors Without Borders in 1999. Nowadays, the EU seems to be more of a source of conflict than a peaceful arbiter. Austerity measures put in place by the EU have ignited protests across Europe, sparking violence in especially volatile areas like Spain, Portugal, and Greece. In comparison to achievements of Doctors Without Borders, the EU gives change to homeless people it sees on the street, occasionally. Not only were there people more deserving of the award this year, giving the award to the EU cheapens the award for future recipients.
This sentiment was reflected on Twitter by BBC broadcaster Andrew Neil:
Nobel Peace Prize totally devalued, indeed a laughing stock, after giving it to Kissinger, Obama (who'd done nothing at time), now EU.
— Andrew Neil(@afneil) October 12, 2012
Daniel Hannan, a lawmaker from Britain’s Conservative Party, said:
#NextNobelPeacePrize to that pugnacious knight in Monty Python who keeps shouting defiance as his limbs are sliced off.
— Daniel Hannan (@DanHannanMEP) October 12, 2012
At the same time, it's understandable why the Nobel Committee saw the need to give some sort of recognition to the EU. The Nobel Committee’s press release stated, “The EU is currently undergoing grave economic difficulties and considerable social unrest,” hinting that the committee would like to create a stabilizing effect with the Peace Prize. The committee praised the EU for “six decades of contributions to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe,” seemingly trying to rally public support for the ailing organization. Public support is something the EU desperately needs. General support for the coalition is at record lows, as the EU has started to show signs of crumbling under the sovereign debt crises of Greece, Italy and Spain. At this point, where it seems like some countries may seek a way out of the EU, something does need to be done to save the organization.
Despite any misgivings about the EU's efficiency, one must admit that it has brought economic prosperity to nations within the group and to Europe as a whole. The EU has made and promoted free trade agreements, while introducing a single currency for the group, the euro. The EU has also standardized public safety and health laws, such as child safety regulations and standards. To have the EU dissolve in the face of mounting frustration from the general public would set the continent back over a century, when a single nation's needs trumped all. Also, Europe would continue to spiral downwards economically as the debt crises in Greece, Italy and Spain grow. EU members do need public support to stay cohesive, so in that sense the Nobel Committee's decision was a smart move, though a politicized one.
President Obama’s receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 was the start of the award's evolution into a political tool. Obama won the award at the very start of his presidency in 2009, when he had yet to accomplish anything as the commander in chief. While the Nobel Committee said the award was “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” it seemed to be a strategic move to both garner public support for the newly elected president and curry some favor for the Nobel Committee. “It was because we would like to support what he is trying to achieve,” Committee Chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said.
It is entirely likely that the Nobel Prize committee will continue to give out awards with a political agenda in mind. Liu Xiaobo's peace prize in 2010 continues to be a topic of dispute in China, with fellow Chinese Nobel Prize laureate (for literature) Mo Yan's comments igniting more controversy. The Nobel Committee may in all likelihood give next year's award to a Chinese human rights activist in order to pressure the Chinese government into creating reform. Separately, the Centre for Research on Globalization suggested that NATO may win next year's Peace Prize.
That being said, hopefully this year's award will be the end of politically motivated Peace Prizes. The award should recognize concrete steps forward for peace, rather than the vague reasoning given for the EU's award. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people and groups that have already made strides in promoting peace. The prize should go to these people for what they have accomplished, not to others for what the Nobel Committee wants them to accomplish.