If I were to decide about the attribution of the N-P-P in this year, I would have granted it to the political oposition movement of IRAN -- to these young people, mainly students, who risk their life everyday to change the autocratic regime of their country and to make Iran a proud and peaceful state again. But, alas, the gentlemen of the Nobel Committee prefer to grand the Prize to the President of the United States --- even at his own great surprize and "befuddlement." Obama has thousand times more power to influence the world and to convey his ideas to the Americans and to other nations.
In my understanding, granting this highly valued Prize to him is a waste of money and sacrificing of the true intentions of Mr. Alfred Nobel, who really meant "Peace."" -- David Dastych)
An Ignoble Weapon
With all the clamor recently over the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to President Obama, it recalled for me a presentation I attended in Oslo last year by Geir Lundestad, Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute and permanent Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. During the presentation, Lundestad admitted that, “The prize can actually influence outside events.” Lundestad was noting how Lech Walesa said that he would never have been able to achieve what he did in Poland in June 1989, had he not years earlier received the Nobel
Peace Prize. Likewise, East Timor winners said the prize [in 1996] helped that country become independent. Lundestad remarked that, “The Nobel Peace Prize opens all doors. Desmond Tutu in 1984 won. Tutu had always wanted to meet President Reagan, and it opened the door.”
Looking back over notes from Lundestad’s presentation, however, I was most astounded by another comment made by the Secretary. “The Nobel Peace Prize is also a protective device.” That was the "aha" moment for me. Lundestad was admitting that the prize is also now being used not for accomplishing peace, but as a deterrent to war.
He said Committee members ask themselves, “Can we do a bit more? What can we actually do for peace?” After all, how can President Obama possibly deploy 30,000 troops to Afghanistan (or anywhere for that matter), when he was just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? “We have adapted the definition of peace,” were Lundestad’s words. That’s right out of the horse's mouth. -- Seems five people in Norway have, with great agility, adapted what the world had come to view as the true intent of the Nobel Peace Prize – accomplishing peace – and instead turned it into a weapon to promote the agenda they’d like to see.
But perhaps one last comment proffered by Lundestad helps let us now view the seriousness of the prize with a grain of salt. Lundestad was speaking of how Bangladesh was awarded the prize in 2006. “The country closed down for three days for celebration.” He noted how amazing it was that, “five unknown Norwegians can make the people of Bangladesh so happy that they celebrate for three days.” The Taliban must be celebrating now as well.
Anne Kazel-Wilcox is President of Gold Coast Communications, having founded the firm in 1997. Ms. Kazel has over 20 years’ experience in public relations, investment banking, real estate and commercial banking.
