The Nobel Peace Prize To The Undeserving European Union

The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 to the European Union (EU). Although conceding in its press release that "the EU is currently undergoing grave economic difficulties and considerable social unrest,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee rationalized its choice by claiming that it "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 EU selection follows the path of another brainless choice for the Nobel Peace Prize - Barack Obama in 2009, when he had not done a thing except give lofty speeches and apologia for the United States’ role in the world.

The two recipients have this in common. Obama described himself as "a citizen of the world” and proclaimed the virtues of "global citizenship” to adoring crowds in Berlin in 2007. The Nobel Committee liked what it heard and awarded Obama the peace prize for his potential to elevate transnationalism over American national sovereignty. He has not disappointed.

The EU is all about supranational authority as a counterweight to nationalism. The Nobel Committee apparently believes that the tradeoff is worth it on the theory that the EU has brought peace, democracy and human rights to Europe. The committee has ignored a few "inconvenient truths,” to borrow a phrase from another undeserving recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Al Gore. (continue reading...)