Nobel What Prize?

[starrwriter]

I just found out Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini were all nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize during the 1930s. Even though none actually won, that prize has lost all meaning to me. What the hell was the Nobel committee thinking when they chose to honor those dictators? I'm surprised they didn't nominate Pol Pot in the 1970s.

[Virgil]

I just found out about Hitler & Mussolini too. I didn't know about Stalin. It doesn't mean anything to me either.

[kilted exile]

*bites tongue and certainly makes no mention of a recent nomination for a resident of Pennsylvania Avenue*

[Koa]

OMG, I didnt know that

Well maybe it was kind of a political choice... like some Literature Prizes have been, werent they? Like some were given to Soviet Writers just incase... and Solzhenytsin too was hoping to use his prize for political purposes...

[RobinHood3000]

The power of hindsight, eh?

[emily655321]

*Silently in league with Kilted*

[RobinHood3000]

Forgive me for being touchy, but is there a point to all of this Bush-bashing? His days in office are numbered, and it seems somewhat...I don't know how to describe it, perhaps a milder form of "whiny"? I know this one girl who shouts "BUSH!!" every time the context can be construed as even remotely insulting, and the only thing it does is annoy everyone around. It isn't as if he's going to be impeached if someone hits him with a really good diss.

[crisaor]

To make matters worse, Kissinger won it.

[jakobin]

this thread seems very political, and one of the rules seems to be No Politics!! hehe...but yeah, interesting anyway.

[Basil]

The Nobel committee can nominate candidates, but they are not the only ones with this privilege. These are the people who are able to submit nominations for the Peace Prize, according to the Nobel website:

1. Members of national assemblies and governments of states;
2. Members of international courts;
3. University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes;
4. Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
5. Board members of organizations who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
6. Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; (proposals by members of the Committee to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after February 1) and
7. Former advisers appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

According to the Nobel website, this numbers about 3000 people. So while you can blame the Nobel committeee for the the winners (which they choose), it seems a stretch to blame them for every single nominee, when so many people have the power to nominate.

[Nightshade]

hey maybe noone had cottned on yet to Hitler whats his face (not even going to begin spelling that) and Stalin they got the awrd before didnt they?
And alright despite everything they did and yep peace isnt the greatest word around to give them they were all fantastic leaders in that they convinced entire nations of people too blindly accept what they said was right.
Right or wrong(and there is NO way Im saying they were right) that is an AMAZING quality.
and as for other peace prize winners do you realize that Sadat was acttually killed for his peace prize because although the west loved what he did his people certinally did not.

---just a point---
and wasnt an Israli President or primeminster or what ever they are killed quite recently (mid 90's) for making peace too??

[papayahed]

The Nobel committee can nominate candidates, but they are not the only ones with this privilege. These are the people who are able to submit nominations for the Peace Prize, according to the Nobel website:

1. Members of national assemblies and governments of states;
2. Members of international courts;
3. University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes;
4. Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
5. Board members of organizations who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
6. Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; (proposals by members of the Committee to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after February 1) and
7. Former advisers appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

According to the Nobel website, this numbers about 3000 people. So while you can blame the Nobel committeee for the the winners (which they choose), it seems a stretch to blame them for every single nominee, when so many people have the power to nominate.

Thanks Basil I was wondering about the nominating process but was too lazy to look it up.

[starrwriter]

To make matters worse, Kissinger won it.

At least Dr. Strangelove negotiated the agreement that finally ended the Vietnam war.

[crisaor]

At least Dr. Strangelove negotiated the agreement that finally ended the Vietnam war.

He started the war in the first place. It makes no sense.

[Shea]

Here's an interesting piece from wikipedia you guys might appreciate. I looked it up because my husband was telling me about how the prize got started. Nobel was the man that invented dynamite. I guess he severely regretted the destruction it caused and so hence the Peace Prize. Here again, hindsight is 20/20.

Controversy
The Nobel Peace Prize is controversial in numerous respects. The parliament of Norway is responsible for appointing the Peace Prize committee. The same parliament has pursused partisan military aims by ratifying membership in NATO in 1949, by hosting NATO troops, and by leasing ports and territorial waters to US ballistic missile submarines in 1983. By contrast Sweden, which awards the other Nobel Prizes, has remained neutral.

A particular claimed weakness of the Nobel Peace Prize awarding process is the swiftness of recognition. The scientific and literature Nobel prizes are usually issued in retrospect, often two or three decades after the intellectual achievement, thus representing a time-proven confirmation and balance of approval by the established academic community, seldom contradicted by newer developments. In contrast, the Nobel Peace prize at times takes the form of summary judgment, being issued in the same year as or the year immediately following the political act. Some commentators have suggested that to award a peace prize on the basis of unquantifiable contemporary opinion is unjust or possibly erroneous. This situation may be said to deprive the 'real' peace makers, who may not be recognised for their long-term or subtle approaches. However, others have pointed to the uniqueness of the Peace prize in that its high profile can often focus world attention on particular problems and possibly aid in the peace-efforts themselves. When looked at more closely, the peace-laureates often have a lifetime's history of working at and promoting humanitarian issues, as in the examples of Mother Teresa, a Christian Missionary of foreign origin (1979 laureate) and Aung San Suu Kyi (1991 laureate).