And the award goes to… The European Union.
Jaws hang. Applause is minimal.
Though the European continent is in a state of economic and political turmoil, the Nobel Committee saw it necessary to award the 54-year-old European Union with the Nobel Peace Prize last Friday. President Barack Obama and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. are previous American recipients of the award.
There is no doubt other individuals could have been granted this award, but their impact would not come close to that of the EU. The union of 27 nations is possibly the most effective union to date, transforming Europe into a stable platform for trade and economic diversity.
For this reason, Europe is most deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. So what is the significance of the prize?
The Nobel Peace Prize, one of six international awards, is the creation of Alfred Nobel, Swedish inventor and philanthropist born in 1833. Since 1901, the Nobel Committee awards individuals or corporations for outstanding achievements in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, economics and promotion of peace.
Recipients of the latter award are chosen “for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses,” according to the website Nobelprize.org.
This requirement illustrates the values and actions of the EU.
The EU formed after WWII was created to encourage economic dependence between six countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. What resulted was an organization of 27 nations which has achieved 50 years of peace among nations historically divided by language, religion, ethnicity and borders.
Among other achievements of the EU is the creation of a single European currency, the euro, and voided territorial boundaries, encouraging citizens to travel freely throughout the continent.
Although a stable union, Europe, is not without its share of problems, but they don’t match the achievements of the Union.
As in any racially diverse region, racism and prejudice still exist. African, Asian and even Muslim immigrants are frequently blamed for economic woes plaguing Europe and countries such as Spain, Greece, Italy and France are among many members nearing or experiencing financial collapse. But these issues are minor compared to the state of Europe during and after WWI and II.
Other alliances such as the Arab League and African League pale in comparison to the influence of the EU. Witness the state of Africa and the Middle East and it is clear to see there is no such cooperation as seen in the EU.
A worthy candidate of this year’s Peace Prize could have been Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani girl shot by Taliban militants for advocating girls’ rights to education.
I would award the Dalai Lama with the prize annually because his unrelenting stance on pacifism.
Though an inspirational story, her plight as well as the Dalai Lama’s standpoint does not impact as broad a scale as the EU.
But we cannot forget the questionable choices the Nobel Committee has made in the past.
The world was left wondering why President Obama received the award in 2009.
If treated like the Heisman Trophy, Obama would have had to resend his trophy to the committee. Interestingly enough, both Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler were nominated for the award, as well.
But this year, EU is a solid choice for the Nobel Prize committee to add to a questionable record. Alfred Nobel would be proud of his creation.
