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.
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.