"No Use Peace Prize"

The Nobel Peace Prize is, in its most genuine intention, to be awarded to those who have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses. It is a prize that has been received by pioneers and legends like Martin Luther King Jr., Desmond Tutu, and Mother Teresa back in the days when it was awarded to people who truly deserved it.Furthermore, the Peace Prize is special in the way it is selected. Four of the five Nobel Prizes, founded by none other than the famous Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, are now awarded to candidates chosen by Swedish institutions. These four are awarded to those who have made significant contributions to Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Economics, you name it. But it is the fifth, and the only one with a political nature, that is selected from a five-member committee from the Parliament of Norway. So what do I think of the Nobel Peace Prize now?I think it’s a joke.You may have thought the crumbling, ineffective and overly-bureaucratic European Union was in trouble in 2012, with the Eurozone in danger of splintering and the single currency on the verge of collapse. Yet a group of unexceptional Norwegians would like you to remember that the 27 member states of the EU are, in fact, the global bulwark against war and misery by their awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the entire European Union. What is this showing the world? That it’s okay to fight amongst each other and tear a continent apart, if those actions are perpetrated by first world nations?There is no better illustration of the meaninglessness of the Nobel Peace Prize in today’s society than the awarding of the 2009 prize to President Barack Obama, who, while not even a year into his first term, nonetheless impressed the Norwegians simply by not being President George W. Bush, despite extending large chunks of Bush’s foreign policy. All the while, wars continue, drones fall, Guantanamo is still in business, embassies are attacked and American troops continue to fight a futile war in Afghanistan. Had Obama really done more to inspire peace than any other individual on the planet in 2009? What message is this sending?Going one step further towards illegitimizing the prize, the committee has now nominated Edward Snowden, National Security Agency leaker and political refugee turned public sweetheart for the prize. A Swedish sociology professor nominated Snowden, saying that awarding the former NSA employee would correct Nobel committee’s mistake in giving the award to President Barack Obama in 2009 and attempt to improve public opinion of Snowden’s actions.So what peace is this prize actually representing today? There isn’t much argument as to why Snowden should deserve the Peace Prize—he has essentially antagonized the entirety of the planet and necessitated a global manhunt that cost countless resources. In fact, I leave it up to you to ask yourself whether or not you think the Nobel Peace Prize is worth anything legitimate. The answer should be quite simple. The prize has become another meaningless title to attach to important figures of the day, and nothing more.