Nobel Peace Prize does it again -

[Viking]

I'm disappointed, again.

The committee had been warned against giving it to Wael Ghonim on the grounds that it might piss off the egyptians. If anything that is a sure sign that the comittee is a bunch of pussies and the arab spring is dead.

But still..

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the only sitting african leader that might be eligible for the Mo Mowlam Prize. It's almost like Barack Obama, she's the only reasonably uncorrupt leader in africa. She meets the bare minimum standard for an elected official, in africa that is apparently a great achievement. But the other two, who the fuck are they?

While Madame Sirleaf should be a good candidate after retirement or replacement through elections, doing it now doesn't seem right. Unfortunately it is a case of giving it in hopes that it causes better behaviour. That didn't work for Obama since he barely missed a beat after getting the prize and bombed the moon and pakistan.

The Nobel prize is still living on past glories and I don't think that any of the laureates this year edify the prize.

[Martinus]

They just weren't ballsy enough to give it to Assange.

[Eddie Teach]

 

[Sheilbh]

I'm disappointed, again.

The committee had been warned against giving it to Wael Ghonim on the grounds that it might piss off the egyptians. If anything that is a sure sign that the comittee is a bunch of pussies and the arab spring is dead.

The Arab Spring's not dead and I think giving it Ghonim would be continuing the Western obsession with the revolutions as being about social media which I find tedious, inaccurate and a bit insulting.  Not that I can criticise Ghonim who's a bit of a hero.

I'd heard of the Yemeni woman and I think she's very admirable.  Sirleaf-Johnson seems impressive.  While I think you're kind of right about sitting the truth is that she's done pretty good work in democratically governing a country that's emerging from a civil war - which I'd argue deserves recognition as much as a leader in office signing a peace accord with their neighbour.  I don't know the Liberian campaigner at all.

I think these are pretty good picks.  Way above the silly ones like the UN or Obama.  Also I quite like these prizes when they don't seem to be trying to make a grand, self-important statement (Al Gore) but are instead focusing on a particular issue.  In this case I think women's rights, women's role in ending conflicts and the fact that in the conflicts we've had in recent years (especially in Africa) women bear an enormous amount of suffering in the world.

[KRonn]

Sheilbh, interesting additional info. And I do agree with you on women's rights around the world. In too many places women are second or third class persons, subject to some nasty treatment, stuff that we'd cringe at in our societies, whether you're male or female.

[Sheilbh]

Sheilbh, interesting additional info. And I do agree with you on women's rights around the world. In too many places women are second or third class persons, subject to some nasty treatment, stuff that we'd cringe at in our societies, whether you're male or female.

I think specifically in the context of conflict there are issues specifically to do with women.  After all these are three women who've come from countries where military forces have used rape as a weapon. 

[The Brain]

The Peace Prize has been a joke for years. Norwegians are morons.

[Razgovory]

They just weren't ballsy enough to give it to Assange.

Also he didn't do anything useful.

[crazy canuck]

They just weren't ballsy enough to give it to Assange.

Also he didn't do anything useful.

They gave it to Obama right after his election.

[AnchorClanker]

They just weren't ballsy enough to give it to Assange.

Like what he did or not, it's a difficult to claim that it contributed to peace.   

[Razgovory]

They just weren't ballsy enough to give it to Assange.

Also he didn't do anything useful.

They gave it to Obama right after his election.

He didn't do anything useful either.

[crazy canuck]

They just weren't ballsy enough to give it to Assange.

Also he didn't do anything useful.

They gave it to Obama right after his election.

He didn't do anything useful either.

Exactly.  The precedent has been set.

[Razgovory]

They just weren't ballsy enough to give it to Assange.

Like what he did or not, it's a difficult to claim that it contributed to peace.   

It did increase strain on International relations and made countries less like likely to be open with one another.  That's like contributing to peace.  Or rather the opposite of promoting peace.

[DGuller]

They gave it to Obama right after his election.

Obama did defeat McCain.  That was already a giant contribution to world peace.

[Sheilbh]

Like what he did or not, it's a difficult to claim that it contributed to peace.   

He deserves it as much as any of the social networks or Arab bloggers people have suggested.