Tag Archives: nobel peace prize

MAGA is not happy. Their leader. Their idol. Donald J.Trump is not this year’s recipient of what the Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary History calls “the most prestigious prize in the world”—the Nobel Peace Prize.

Of course, he never was going to be the name on the lips of announcing committee chairperson Jorgen Frydnes. At least not this week. Nominations for this year’s prize closed in January even before Trump was inaugurated.

But a little thing like a 124 year-old procedural rule was unlikely to stop a man who is running roughshod over a tried and tested 242-year-old constitution.

There is, of course, always next year. The president has, after all, negotiated six (or is it ten or 11) peace deals. And, even his harshest critics are saying that he deserves the $1.15 million prize money and gold medallion if the Gaza concord holds.

But reading between the lines of this year’s award the five-person Nobel Committee thinks otherwise.

They have given the prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for standing up for democratic values which are being trampled by dictator Nicolas Maduro.

“Democracy,” said chairperson Frydnes, “is a pre-condition for lasting peace. However, we live in a world where democracy is in retreat. More and more authoritarian regimes are challenging the norms and turning to violence.

“Rule of law is abused by those in power. Free media is silenced. Critics are imprisoned and societies are pushed towards authoritarian rule and militarisation.”

He went on to say that Ms Machado represents “precisely what lies at the heart of democracy: our shared willingness to defend the principles of popular rule, even though we disagree. At a time when democracy is under threat, it is more important than ever to defend this common ground.”

The chairperson did not mention Trump by name. He didn’t have to. In fact, the overt criticism was directed at Maduro, but the slightly veiled reproach was clearly intended for the American president.