Does the EU deserve the Nobel Peace Prize?

koan · Post by **koan** » Fri Oct 12, 2012 5:29 pm

It seems strange to me.

Post by **LarsMac** » Fri Oct 12, 2012 7:40 pm

Well, ..., um,...

Well, they COULD use the money.

koan · Post by **koan** » Fri Oct 12, 2012 9:02 pm

LarsMac;1407653 wrote: Well, ..., um,...

Well, they COULD use the money.
lmao

I'm concerned because this prize used to mean a lot. Now they give it to just about anyone who says they're going to do something at some time in the future. It seems like they're using the award to influence political powers now instead of rewarding exceptional behaviour.

Post by **LarsMac** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 7:42 am

You're right.

I think that rewarding the Peace Prize in this fashion, not to mention a couple of other recent choices diminishes the meaning of the prizes awarded to many of the notable earlier recipients.

All Nobel Peace Prizes

Post by **LarsMac** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 7:50 am

My previous post was made without really knowing much about the thinking behind the reward.

I have been very busy at work, waking at 5 and getting home in time to go to sleep so I could get up and do it again.

So I have only gotten bits and pieces of what is going on in the world via Public Radio on the way to work in the morning.

I thought, perhaps, I should at least try to understand the reasoning.

So, I went to The Nobel Peace Prize 2012 - Press Release

To see why.

...

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.

Oslo, 12 October 2012

Perhaps I was premature in my response?

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 7:53 am

Yeah, they gave a reason that is believable, it's just a matter of whether they were the best choice among all the candidates being considered.

Post by **LarsMac** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 8:30 am

I was wondering who the nominees were this year.

A nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize may be submitted by any person who meets the nomination criteria. A letter of invitation to submit is not required. The names of the nominees and other information about the nominations cannot be revealed until 50 years later.

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 5:53 pm

LarsMac;1407696 wrote: I was wondering who the nominees were this year.
They announced four other names in the program I was watching. Not sure how they got them but I'll see if I can assemble the list they gave.

koan · Post by **koan** » Sun Oct 14, 2012 1:25 am

Fell asleep for a bit.

There were bets being made, not sure if the bets were based on knowledge of nominations or just speculation.

Nobel Peace Prize 2012 Odds | NicerOdds

The top three on the list of expected winners were:

Gene Sharp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sima Samar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lina Ben Mhenni - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Post by **LarsMac** » Sun Oct 14, 2012 7:25 am

So, firstly, I apologize in advance if this seems a bit pedantic, but, where do the oddsmakers get these names?

As I read it, the nomination process is a bit secretive, and this list was not officially known to the public. (from what I can see on the Nobel web page.)

Of course this is after the fact, and of course Bookies have their way of finding out information.

koan · Post by **koan** » Sun Oct 14, 2012 1:51 pm

I guess they just assemble names of public figures who had major achievements and who have had a bet placed on them as likely winner. The final list is the most bet upon people. It doesn't mean they were officially nominated for the award it just gives an a breakdown of who was likely nominated. I hadn't realized that the candidates are supposed to be a secret because an Al Jazeera article said "The EU won from a field of 231 candidates including Russian dissidents and religious leaders working for Muslim-Christian reconciliation."

European Union awarded 2012 Nobel Peace Prize - Europe - Al Jazeera English

The number seems pretty precise, and they seem to have seen a list with at least two people on it.

Post by **LarsMac** » Sun Oct 14, 2012 4:57 pm

So, in fifty years, we will have to touch base on this and see who the nominees were.

I dunno, maybe my grandkids can do that, I may not remember then.

koan · Post by **koan** » Sun Oct 14, 2012 5:54 pm

LarsMac;1407970 wrote: So, in fifty years, we will have to touch base on this and see who the nominees were.

I dunno, maybe my grandkids can do that, I may not remember then.

Haha.

I'm not that committed to knowing if the list is speculated or leaked. Either way, there is a sense of knowing who the other possible nominees were either by public popularity or official consideration.