![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
mahnmut.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpoliticsIt'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.
(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 18:37 (UTC)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.
(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 18:47 (UTC)I would have thought all those commie missiles had more to do with Europe not fighting itself, NATO and all that.
(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 18:47 (UTC)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.
(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 18:48 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 18:51 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 18:52 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 19:01 (UTC)Nah. I'm not good at hyperbole.
(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 19:11 (UTC)So similar to the Algerian War.
Not actually disagreeing with the premise, merely thinking that you should pick your cases better.
(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 19:18 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 19:31 (UTC)Europe not fighting for itself - don't know. Maybe you can say that this applies for Germany, but certainly not for France or UK.
(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 19:34 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 19:35 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 19:45 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 19:47 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 19:57 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 20:09 (UTC)"...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.
(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 20:13 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 20:27 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 20:31 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 20:37 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 20:44 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 20:46 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 20:48 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 20:55 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/12/12 20:57 (UTC)