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Nobel Peace Prize to EU

TuffaloDeac10

TuffaloDeac10

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Interesting. I think I'm a fan.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2012/press.html

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 is to be awarded to the European Union (EU). The union and its forerunners have for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.

In the inter-war years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee made several awards to persons who were seeking reconciliation between Germany and France. Since 1945, that reconciliation has become a reality. The dreadful suffering in World War II demonstrated the need for a new Europe. Over a seventy-year period, Germany and France had fought three wars. Today war between Germany and France is unthinkable. This shows how, through well-aimed efforts and by building up mutual confidence, historical enemies can become close partners.

In the 1980s, Greece, Spain and Portugal joined the EU. The introduction of democracy was a condition for their membership. The fall of the Berlin Wall made EU membership possible for several Central and Eastern European countries, thereby opening a new era in European history. The division between East and West has to a large extent been brought to an end; democracy has been strengthened; many ethnically-based national conflicts have been settled.

The admission of Croatia as a member next year, the opening of membership negotiations with Montenegro, and the granting of candidate status to Serbia all strengthen the process of reconciliation in the Balkans. In the past decade, the possibility of EU membership for Turkey has also advanced democracy and human rights in that country.

The EU is currently undergoing grave economic difficulties and considerable social unrest. The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to focus on what it sees as the EU's most important result: the successful struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights. The stabilizing part played by the EU has helped to transform most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace.

The work of the EU represents "fraternity between nations", and amounts to a form of the "peace congresses" to which Alfred Nobel refers as criteria for the Peace Prize in his 1895 will.
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A friend of mine's dad won the Nobel prize in Chemistry.
 
Just to save the resident right-wing nutjobs the trouble:

This is just more clear proof that Obama sucks!!! Tinfoil!! Black helicopters!! White House Muslims!!! ARMA-FUCKING-GEDDON!!
 
The part about this where a Norwegian committee awards a prize to a group that Norway decided not to enter is sorta rich, but I'm not going to get snarky about the EU.
 
hell, i'd award it to the EU for not having a war for 60 straight years
 
The best way to keep peace is to get countries to be economically linked together. Good choice.
 
^The great lesson of the yellow pencil. 2012 = Milton Friedman's 100th birthday and a Nobel for peace through integration. Not bad. More still to do; history's not stopping here.
 
You wonder what Libya thinks of this choice. Or any of the other many countries that have seen European troops tread their soil uninvited (or planes overhead, etc.).

Obviously this is a Euro-centric choice that offers little regard for the rest of the world and their grievances against the West. But then this organization lost all credibility a few years back. Not sure why anyone wouldn't expect a purely political choice.

I don't pretend to know who all were candidates, but I would have thought the girl from Pakistan would have been a very strong candidate.
 
As I recall the Nobel Peace prize is sort of its own thing (announced in Oslo instead of Stockholm) relative to the other prizes, so maybe that's why it tends to be a bit more controversial.
 
The EU as a whole may deserve it but the current bunch running the EU does not. Consider this: Spanish Comrade Joaquin Almunia, who, as the European Commissioner for Finances, turned a blind eye and ignored all the overwhelming evidence of overspending and irresponsible borrowing by among others the Greeks, Italians and his fellow Spanish before the crisis and thus played a key role in creating the financial mess in Europe, now has a new cushy job with the European Commission. He is now responsible for competition. This is currently an organization where no one, especially no completely incompetent malefactor, has to accept responsibility for anything. Indeed, he'll simply get promoted or kicked over to another luxury sinecure, where he can continue to be maliciously incompetent..
 
KillSwofford said:
You wonder what Libya thinks of this choice. Or any of the other many countries that have seen European troops tread their soil uninvited (or planes overhead, etc.).

Obviously this is a Euro-centric choice that offers little regard for the rest of the world and their grievances against the West. But then this organization lost all credibility a few years back. Not sure why anyone wouldn't expect a purely political choice.

I don't pretend to know who all were candidates, but I would have thought the girl from Pakistan would have been a very strong candidate.
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Libya should be effin' thankful to the West. Without the US, France and the UK, Qaddafi would have razed Benghazi and quashed the rebellion. Now if you're talking about what Europe did to Africa over 70 years ago, then you have a point.
 
cville deac said:
Libya should be effin' thankful to the West. Without the US, France and the UK, Qaddafi would have razed Benghazi and quashed the rebellion. Now if you're talking about what Europe did to Africa over 70 years ago, then you have a point.
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Europe had no business in Libya. Well actually they did, that was the whole idea. Europe is in the process of crippling Iran's currency and economy as well.

This award has become as random and generally useless as Time's Man of the Year.
 
I wonder if this was a "hey european union look how awesome you are, you are so awesome that you have shepherded world peace so we were hoping that those of you who are part of the monetary union can continue to work together on this currency thing. remember you are nobel peace prize winners."
 
The EU? Maybe five years ago, but right now this makes zero sense. It appears that the Nobel Prize committee is once again attempting to make a political statement.
 
94Deac said:
Just to save the resident right-wing nutjobs the trouble:

This is just more clear proof that Obama sucks!!! Tinfoil!! Black helicopters!! White House Muslims!!! ARMA-FUCKING-GEDDON!!
Click to expand...

You can't possibly believe that Pres. Obama deserved that thing. Unless of course you count that time he broke up a fight in middle school.
 
BillBrasky said:
You can't possibly believe that Pres. Obama deserved that thing. Unless of course you count that time he broke up a fight in middle school.
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its best to just let 94 post as he pleases and cruise on past
 
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