On Dec. 10, 1896, in Sanremo, Italy, Alfred Nobel died and left behind a fortune of about $3.5 million.
But instead of passing it onto his family, Nobel decided to invest in safe securities and constitute a fund in which prizes would be awarded to individuals who “have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” Hence, the Nobel Prize was created in 1901 to begin the legacy continuing today.
And as a man who was nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” it is easy to see Nobel’s desire to produce more peace in the world to make up for his explosive inventions. Famous winners in the peace category include Malala Yousafzai, a child education activist, Saint Teresa of Calcutta and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
It is a highly sought after and prestigious award, but the nomination process isn’t as in-depth as actually choosing the winners. Almost anyone can nominate anyone — which explains why President Trump broke headlines once again for snatching a 2021 nomination.
Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a Norwegian lawmaker and member of conservative Progress Party deemed “far-right” by the Associated Press, decided to nominate Trump for his leadership in brokering the Abraham Accords. The Abraham Accords created a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to normalise relations.
The White House press office called the accords “a historic diplomatic breakthrough” and “the most significant step toward peace in the Middle East in more than a quarter of a century.”
Tybring-Gjedde also nominated Trump back in 2018 regarding the efforts to bring reconciliation to North and South Korea.
However, when you look past the deal, it can be hard to see how or why someone would nominate Trump for a peace prize — especially regarding the last year or so.
When told the U.S. had the highest number of COVID-19 infections, Trump said it was a “badge of honor” because it meant we were having the most tests done. Yet, Harvard Global Health Institute director Ashish Jha told a congressional hearing that of the 900,000 daily tests needed to safely open the country again, the U.S. is only doing one third of them.
He cried that “Black Lives Matter” was a symbol of hate when New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan to have the words painted in front of Trump Tower. In June, he had national guardsmen and federal officers forcefully clear a path from the White House to St. John’s Church with gas and rubber bullets for a photo op with a Bible.
The president has mocked disabled citizens, objectified women and shamed minorities. To gain voters in this year’s election, Trump has painted a dystopian picture of what former Vice President Joe Biden’s America will look like if elected — taking images of the current chaos that happened during his first term.
As the Los Angeles Times puts it, Trump is playing a trick that says, “Vote for me because what’s happening on my watch is unacceptable.”
There are those who will ignore these actions. They’ll choose to focus solely on the Abraham Accords and defend that Trump has been a good businessman. To combat this, it is important to look at past Nobel peace prize nominees.
Adolf Hitler was nominated in 1939. Ignoring the terror he caused in Russia, Joseph Stalin was nominated twice in 1945 and 1948 for his efforts to end World War II. In 1935, Benito Mussolini, invader of Ethiopia and Greece, received a nomination. Fidel Castro, who worked thousands of Cubans to death in concentration camps, snagged his own nomination in 2001. Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin have also all been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
According to the Nobel’s official guidelines, after nominations are submitted, an in-depth review process begins. A short list narrows the hundreds of nominees to a mere twenty to thirty, then is further investigated by the Nobel Institute’s permanent advisers. After reports and thorough discussions, the recipient is finally selected by a five-person Nobel Committee appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. The winner of the 2021 prize will not be announced until October of next year.
We need to keep Trump’s nomination in perspective. He hasn’t won anything yet. Nor should he.
