There are many reasons to give someone the Nobel Peace Prize, from their potential as a leader to their disruptive but positive effect on secrecy.  However, increasingly, the Peace Prize is a legacy award.  For the bulk of the good work the organization has done, the Nobel Committee has decided that the time is right to crown the squabbling, broke, weakened European Union for its efforts to prevent global war.  The EU is the newest Nobel Peace Prize winner, and given the rationale of the committee, it’s a well-deserved award.

“The stabilizing part played by the European Union has helped to transform a once torn Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace,” said Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland.  “Today war between Germany and France is unthinkable.  This shows how, through well-aimed efforts and by building up mutual confidence, historical enemies can become close partners.”  Added Jagland, “The EU is currently undergoing grave economic difficulties and considerable social unrest.  The Norwegian Nobel Committee 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 got its start in 1950 when France and Germany decided to pool their steel and coal resources.  Since then, it has expanded to 27 nations that cover over 500 million people.  There are many demands for becoming an EU member, but the commitment to democracy is the one that seems to have affected EU membership the most.  That’s what kept Spain and Greece out until 1980, when they became democracies, and why the nations of Eastern Europe weren’t eligible until 1989.  The EU has also eased travel, increased international cooperation, and pushed forward human rights in its member countries, and all that has to be rewarded.

Still, I wonder if China will give itself a Confucius Peace Prize.

Tags: eu, european union, europe, nobel committee, nobel peace prize, nobel prize for peace, thorbjoern jagland, eu wins nobel peace prize, the european union wins the nobel peace prize, europe, european union wins peace prize, nobel peace prize given to europe, peace prizes,  Norwegian nobel committee

I’ve never had a problem eating food from a gas station.  Just two weeks ago, I ate a couple of hot dogs purchased from a gas station.  They were delicious.  That’s not the first time I’ve eaten gas station food, and I doubt it will be the last.  There’s nothing like a fun food novelty. […]

Commissioner Roger Goodell gathered 32 NFL owners for one big question.  One of the league’s most wanderlust-stricken franchises is looking to move again.  The Oakland-Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders, tired of gutting it out in a run-down stadium, were once again looking for greener pastures.  Only the Miami Dolphins refused to cooperate.  With a vote of 31-1, […]

In 2006, an injury to Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe opened the door for an undrafted free agent by the name of Tony Romo to take the helm of America’s Team and lead the Dallas Cowboys to an early playoff exit.  Bledsoe went from starter to afterthought in a season.  Now, the circle continues […]

For 89 years, Oscars has never had a major mistake.  The last few Oscars might have had a few flubs, but at least they never got the most important category of the night wrong.  Well, that’s now changed, all thanks to OG Bonnie and Clyde legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.  When Faye Dunaway called […]

Tom Brady has been wildly successful, if controversial.  He’s the first quarterback ever to win five Super Bowls and only the second player to do so after Charles Haley.  Unlike Haley, Brady won all his Super Bowls with the same team, the New England Patriots.  The only thing that seems to be able to stop […]

Ben Affleck, no matter what you might think of him, is a talented actor and director.  He’s got the goods, but he’s smart enough to know when he’s in over his head.  All along, since he took on the mantle of Batman, he’s had his eyes on writing, directing, and starring as the Caped Crusader. […]

In May, students for the for-profit American College of Education were running into some problems.  Their access to email accounts and course information was locked down by Google, who had disabled their accounts.  The reason why?  A fired IT worker for the American College of Education locked the school out of their Google cloud account. […]