The Nobel War Prize – Selected Articles
IN FOCUS, 22 Oct 2012
Julie Lévesque – Global Research
The Nobel Committee did it again. The essence of its highest award, the Nobel Peace Prize, has been perverted. It’s been turned into a propaganda tool, a form of institutionalized revisionism, for which war is upheld as a peaceful endeavour, creeping alongside power struggles called “humanitarian interventions” in a fantasy tale we call history.
Neither Henry Kissinger, nor Barack Obama and the European Union (EU) deserved a peace prize. How can the EU deserve a peace prize when it’s been using its military might in the Middle East and Africa for over a decade? As David Swanson notes:
“Europe […] has not during the past year — which is the requirement — or even during the past several decades done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations. Ask Libya. Ask Syria. Check with Afghanistan. See what Iraq thinks. Far from doing the best work to abolish or reduce standing armies, Europe has joined with the United States in developing an armed global force aggressively imposing its will on the world. There were good nominees and potential nominees available, even great ones […]
The West is so in love with itself that many will imagine this award a success. Surely Europe not going to war with itself is more important that Europe going to war with the rest of the world!” (David Swanson, Why Europe Did Not Deserve a Nobel Peace Prize)
In addition to waging war with murderous weapons, the EU also uses “economic weaponry” directed against civilians, such as the sanctions it imposes on Iran. Unlike the EU, Iran has not invaded or attacked any country and the reasons justifying the economic sanctions are pure fantasy. Kourosh Ziabari explains:
[T]his union has aggressively declared an all-out, bloodless war on Iran, affecting millions of innocent civilians in my country who can’t understand for what crime they are being targeted and punished in such a belligerent and unfair manner.
The European Union began to impose an inclusive oil embargo against Iran since July 1 as a result of direct pressure and lobbying by the United States and in an effort aimed at paralyzing Iran’s nuclear program which they claim is not aimed at civilian purposes, and finally breaking the back of Iran’s economy and pressuring it into making political concessions […]
Sensitive medicine and pharmaceutical products which were previously imported from the foreign countries cannot find their way to Iran’s markets anymore and thousands of patients badly in need of medicines for such diseases as thalassemia, hepatitis, diabetes, different types of cancer, heart diseases and psychiatric disorders are facing serious problems with finding their medicines.
Waging wars does not take place simply by means of bombarding cities or dropping nuclear bombs on other nations. What the European Union has been doing with Iran is the unmistakable representation of an all-out war in which the ordinary citizens are the silent victims. (Kourosh Ziabari The Nobel Peace Prize for Those Who Declared War on My Country)
And as if that was not enough, European peacemaking also includes fighting Iran’s freedom of speech as Danny Schechter reports: “European satellite company Eutelsat says it’s pulled the plug on several Iranian satellite channels following an order by the European Commission.” (Danny Schechter, Tell Me Lies: European Satellites Ordered To Drop Iranian Channels In Disregard of Free Speech)
The odd Nobel Laureate is waging a financial war on its own members as well as the cases of Greece and Spain illustrate:
How can you award of a Peace Prize – of all things! – to an entity that systematically supports the economic and social destruction of Greece; imposes extreme hardship on Spaniards and Italians whilst it supports greedy mega-bankers; has an undemocratically elected president (Herman van Rompuy) and, through its NATO war machine, continues bombing and destroying Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and is now poised for unilateral attack against Syria and Iran? Indeed, “Peace” should be made of sterner stuff!! (Adrian Salbuchi, The European Union Grabs the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize)
But in addition to its internal economic warfare and its plea of moral duty to promote war abroad and assert its position on the global chessboard, the EU is not an eligible candidate for this prize. According to Michel Chossudovsky:
While the EU’s contribution to peace is debatable, the key issue is whether a union of nation states, which constitutes a political, economic, monetary and fiscal entity is an “eligible candidate” for the Peace Prize, in accordance with the mandate of the Norwegian Committee.
The Olympic Games are “granted” to countries. But the Nobel Peace Prize cannot under any stretch of the imagination be granted to a nation-state, let alone a union of nation states. (Michel Chossudovsky The EU is not a “Person”: Granting the Nobel Prize to the European Union is in Violation of Alfred Nobel’s Will)
Has the Norwegian Nobel Committee become Orwell’s worst nightmare, where war is peace? To understand their nonsensical choices over the years and what to expect in the future, one has to wonder who and what does the Nobel Committee represent?
Expect anything from Nobel Committee members. They represent wealth, power, privilege, imperial lawlessness, and war, not peace. Perhaps they believe war is peace. They’ll have to explain why scoundrels regularly win their highest award. (Stephen Lendman Nobel Hypocrisy Wins Again)
If the Nobel Peace Prize is delusional, the victims of the EU’s warfare will tell you the horror of war is real.
Global Research offers its readers a list of selected articles on this topic.
Selected Articles:
[Prof. Johan Galtung, The Peace Prize: Nobel or Ignoble?]
David Swanson, Why Europe Did Not Deserve a Nobel Peace Prize
Kourosh Ziabari, The Nobel Peace Prize for Those Who Declared War on My Country
Prof Michel Chossudovsky, The EU is not a “Person”: Granting the Nobel Prize to the European Union is in Violation of Alfred Nobel’s Will
Diana Johnstone and Jean Bricmont, Proposal: 2013 Nobel Peace Prize to NATO
Robert Bridge, EU Austerity Measures: Will the Nobel Prize Laureate use NATO to Collect Bad Debts?
Stephen Lendman, Nobel Hypocrisy Wins Again
Adrian Salbuchi, The European Union Grabs the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize
Danny Schechter, Tell Me Lies: European Satellites Ordered To Drop Iranian Channels In Disregard of Free Speech
Go to Original – globalresearch.ca
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Let me make two almost contrasting (but actually closely interlinked) comments as follows:
First: Some people say, “Peace is war” or “War is peace.” Everyone has his or her own definition of “peace.” Accordingly, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee has also its own definition of “peace.” The Committee decides the Nobel Peace Prize Winner every year according to the Committee’s own definition of “peace.” You may disagree with the Committee’s definition of “peace.” But even if your definition of “peace” and that of Committee are different, why do you complain about it?
Second: The essence of the Prize is its own unique “value.” If the “value” of the Prize has been lost or has become poor, what is the existential reason of the Prize? The “value” of the Peace Prize is largely determined by the Committee’s definition of “peace.” What and how much “value” does the Nobel Peace Prize Committee’s the definition of “peace” produce today? That is a serious question in considering the “value” of the Nobel Peace Prize. Perhaps, the “contemporary” Nobel Peace Prize may remind many people of the phrase “the good old days.” Those were the days the “value” of the Nobel Peace Prize were highly appreciated.