Because I Am A Contrarian

It is officially time to get rid of the Nobel Peace Prize since it has now lost all of its intended meaning.  Make no mistake, Al Gore and the IPCC have done fantastic work on providing knowledge and creating awareness about some of the threats that the planet faces over the next century.  But in no way have they "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses" as stipulated by the will of Alfred Nobel.  In fact, the press release stating the rationale for their selection never mentions peace or the fraternity between nations.  Climate change is an important topic and one that needs to be dealt with, no doubt.  And you could argue that in the future it may pose a threat to international peace.  But as far as actually stopping bloodshed in the here and now, there are far more worthy candidates this year–the monks in Burma who stood up to an oppressive military regime and the Democratic Party of Japan that successfully prevented the former prime minister from revising Japan's constitution to allow for offensive military forces to name only two.

To be completely honest, I would argue that the prize lost its meaning long ago.  One need only look at the list of laureates to see what I mean.  Both Henry Kissinger and Yasser Arafat are Nobel Peace Prize laureates.  True, at the time of their awards, Arafat hadn't revealed himself to be a bellicose charlatan and the full viciousness of Kissinger's sinister realpolitik had yet to be uncovered, but the fact remains that neither of these men has a legacy that immediately induces one to think of peace.  In addition, last year's laureate also never worked to stop bloodshed unless you make the assumption that access to credit induces people to lay down arms or otherwise embrace their neighbors.  And it very well could.  And yes, I fully supported Yunus's prize last year.  But between the last two prizes going to individuals and groups who have worked on projects that are not directly related to peace and certain notorious individuals marring the list of laureates, I have to argue for the deferral of future prizes until the Nobel Committee can once again accurately identify those groups and individuals who legitimately strive to end or at least reduce the suffering caused by the scourge of violence.