THE PLANK OCTOBER 9, 2009
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Barack Obama has become the fourth U.S. president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The announcement has generated a lot of news and debate. 
TNR went into the archives to pull our past pieces on the Peace Prize and its recipients.
"Prize Fight," by Peter Beinart, October 28 2002. In this TRB, Peter Beinart distinguishes between Peace Prizes that are awarded for ending conflict, and those that promote freedom.
"Regrets," by Marty Peretz, April 22 2002. Marty Peretz writes about how the Nobel Committee has regrets about awarding the Peace Prize to Shimon Peres, but not to Yasir Arafat.
"Pop Goes Elie Wiesel,"by Jacob Weisberg, November 10 1986. Jacob Weisberg explores the behind-the-scenes lobbying process that it takes to win a Nobel Peace Prize--with a focus on how Elie Wiesel's was awarded the prize in 1986.
"Premature Prizes," by The Editors, November 11 1978. In an editorial, TNR discusses the awarding of the Peace Prize to Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin and the difficulties that there are with the Arab-Israeli peace process.
1 comments
The Nobel Peace Prize ain't what it used to be. It now seems an unselfconscious parody, a crude attempt by an unaccountable committee with its own political agenda to influence world geopolitics through labeling its recipient as a global and historical figure of peace, stroking their egos, and filling their bank accounts, rather than having any reality in the recipient's actual accomplishments. After all, it was awarded to Yassir Arafat. Obama said that he doesn't view the award "as a recognition of my own accomplishments". Quite so. Obama also said ""I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize." The logical conclusion then would be to turn it down, if this wasn't the false modesty of a vain and narcissistic man. And what about the money for nuthin'
- malahat
October 9, 2009 at 12:09pm