Self-congratulatory self-congratulation

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

It's official. The Nobel peace prize committee has jumped the shark.

Having caused a major WTF moment by giving the award to freshly elected Obama for having done exactly nothing for world peace but pronouncing a few inspiring speeches in various world capitals, now they've decided to surpass their own achievement and reward... themselves, i.e. the EU. Congrats, Europe! Just when you seemed to have reached the peak of all ridiculousness, you've beaten your own record!

Some of the "achievements" of the European peacemongers from the post-WW2 period:

- Some of the leading nations from good "Old Europe" traded with Gaddafi's Libya for quite a while, and they definitely weren't selling him tomatoes. When shit eventually hit the fan, they were the first to beat the war drums and want him out, leaving Libya in a total mess. All for democracy, you know! Because peace and freedom will eventually prevail - somehow.

- While "saving peace" in Europe after WW2, some very nice events happened overseas: like the Algerian War, the Falkland crisis,  and various military and covert interventions throughout the Third World - not without the active "participation" of European forces. Bad guys and bad regimes being deposed for the sake of world peace, and all that.

- Extensive nuclear tests in the Pacific turned a number of atolls into rubble, possibly contaminating the sea for hundreds of miles and decades ahead.

If memory serves, Alfred Nobel did explicitly say that this prize was meant only for those who worked for disarmament, or am I mistaken? Granted, for a time it really was being given to such people. At some point, things must have changed between that time and today.

Comments

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

You are aware, that there is a difference between the individual countries and the EU?
You are aware, that the nobel peace price was given because the project caused peace *within* Europe? You know, no WW3?
You are aware, that the EU worked so much for the trust between former arch enemies like France and Germany that they work heavily together, instead of against each other?

Oh wait, obviously you're not.

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

The EU is the reason there hasn't been a WWIII?

I would have thought all those commie missiles had more to do with Europe not fighting itself, NATO and all that.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Indeed, that was a very curious observation. East European speaking over here (contrary to some perceptions, we do exist by the way).

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Oh, it certainly helped to have a common enemy. But what do you think helped to form a peaceful Europe after 1989?

Europe not fighting for itself - don't know. Maybe you can say that this applies for Germany, but certainly not for France or UK.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

I would think it had more to do with the USSR having developed the military ability to kick NATO around the curb just when it started to disintegrate, thereby forestalling the horrors of a general nuclear exchange. We really, really dodged a bullet thanks to the Cold War ending when it did. There can't be a WWIII now because the USA can defeat the rest of the planet combined in a conventional (as opposed to nuclear) war and nobody wants to be the first guy since Truman to drop the nukes.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm aware of the "personalize the profits, externalize the liabilities" principle, except now it's the reversed. It's all fine as long as EU "as a whole" doesn't do anything bad, even if various EU members (often in groups) do something of very questionable moral integrity. Another nice principle also applies here: the "collective irresponsibility" kicking in pretty neatly. I mean, France, Britain and Germany are all so preachy about non-proliferation of weapons around the world, while simultaneously being among the largest arms exporters in that same world - but it's all fine as long as the EU itself doesn't export weapons, right?

Same applies for peace within Europe. Outsourcing warfare beyond the European borders obviously doesn't count, as long as it happens somewhere far away where the media can't see it. I'm sure those who do all this are entirely different entities that have nothing to do with the constituent members of the EU. Like, when Cameron or Hollande or Merkel signs some papers with their right hand, authorizing the exportation of tanks and warplanes to some obscure country in Africa, their left hand doesn't know what the right one is doing, so it's OK. That's admirably convenient of course.

What I'm aware of is that, obviously, doing one good thing while doing another bad thing, totally negates the latter. It's like some kind of equation where +1 + -1 = 0. Or something.

Believe me, myself being half-Dutch, it's not easy to say these things at all. I love Europe, and I want it to prosper. But somehow, I've been finding tremendous difficulties to force myself to applaud what has just happened in Oslo.

[papasha-mueller.livejournal.com]

"You are aware, that the EU worked so much for the trust between former arch enemies like France and Germany that they work heavily together, instead of against each other?"

That's quite innovative view of history, I'd say.
Are you aware of the fact that EU was CONSTRUCTED by France and Germany?

[luvdovz.livejournal.com]

Oh, you'll piss off a lot of people with this. :)))

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

The Falklands: invasion by a Military Dictatorship over islands where no-one from the country of that dictatorship was actually prepared to reside.

So similar to the Algerian War.

Not actually disagreeing with the premise, merely thinking that you should pick your cases better.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Maybe I should.

[wight1984.livejournal.com]

Similar response here. There are doubtless a range of criticisms to be made but the Falklands war is not attributable to the EU or the UK.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

After granting the prize to Henry Kissinger, they could do no worse. I would love to see someone turn it down because of its cheapness.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

that's not why he got the prize.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I know the official statement.

"...for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

That happened on October 9, 2009. In 10 months he had achieved all that? "Promotion of nuclear nonproliferation and fostering "a new climate" in international relations". That's what it takes to get the Nobel peace prize these days?

The truth is this. They wanted him to feel obliged to promote peace, so they gave him the prize. In advance. The failure of this premise is in believing that the US president would somehow take in consideration what the Nobel peace prize committee wishes or expects of him, when forming his foreign policies. I'm afraid it doesn't work that way.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

I would say it jumped the shark when it gave the prize to Henry Kissinger and Yasser Arafat. This is just confirming that the shark done been jumped.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

True dat.

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

We're in the Joanie Loves Chachi stage.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Btw... hussshhh (http://www.livenews.bg/Spi-li-Boyko-Borisov-na-Nobelovite-nagradi-v-Oslo.-(SNIMKI)-41605)! You're gonna wake the Great One (http://www.google.bg/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=0&gs_ri=hp&cp=5&gs_id=h&xhr=t&q=boyko+borisov&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bpcl=39650382&biw=1366&bih=643&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=zmLGUMv0FsLd4QSf0YDQDw)! Our Dear Leader (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyko_Borisov) is too tired from building highways and cutting ceremonial ribbons and giving interviews for various cable TVs and local radio stations.

Hey, you! Bald old man with the hamster face! Yep, I'm talking to you Rompuypuy-something. Stop blabbering, you! Dear Leader needs a break!



Oops. I'm being told he was just texting. (Tweeting (sic?)?) I can see from here what he's writing: "Hey interior minister Ceco (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsvetan_Tsvetanov), STFU already! Don't mess with prez Rosen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosen_Plevneliev). You've effed up the situation (http://paper.standartnews.com/en/article.php?d=2012-12-11&article=40730) quite a bit already. I'm coming back to BG tomorrow. Until then - shut your mouth and stay away from the media! FFS".

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

That's from the actual ceremony? Eish! Your guy kicks ass! X-D

[papasha-mueller.livejournal.com]

I believe, those guys realised nobody's gonna say them 'thankyou' so they opted for a self-promotion.
I can read it on their faces.
Nice post, btw.

[di-glossia.livejournal.com]

Norway has elected twice not to join the EU, though. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is completely made up of Norwegians, so they definitely didn't give the award to themselves.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Well, this settles it then.

[comeonyouspurs.livejournal.com]

Is this for their services to the people of Greece?

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

Never mind overseas. How about right on their doorstep in area of the former Yugoslavia? Great job, Europe, keeping the peace.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Not the best example. The Serbs and Kosovars didn't exterminate each other.