The questionable legitimacy of the Nobel Peace Prizes

Murtaza Jaffer

Press TV, London

The United Nations food agency, the World Food Programme (WFP), has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger and improve conditions for peace in areas affected by conflict.

The Rome-based organization says it helps some 97 million people across 88 countries each year, and that one in nine people worldwide still do not have enough to eat.

The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to a strong upsurge in the number of victims of hunger in the world. In countries such as Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan and Burkina Faso, the combination of violent conflict and the pandemic has led to a dramatic rise in the number of people living on the brink of starvation.

In her speech Rees-Anderson reiterated, “We will never achieve the goal of zero hunger unless we also put an end to war and armed conflict”. An honest and principled position, one however that will raise eyebrows for those actively trying to end war and conflict. For many The Nobel peace prize has been seen as a propaganda tool to further western imperialist agendas and whitewash some of the most brutal architects of war and conflict.

Arguably the most controversial winner was Henry Kissinger. A man responsible for war and conflict in all corners of the globe, most notably in Vietnam and South America. In fact when he was awarded the prize, two members of the committee resigned in protest.

Other prize winners include Yitzhak Rabin, a man who played a significant role in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. He was appointed Chief of the General Staff in 1964 and oversaw Israel's WAR in 1967 which displaced millions of Palestinians.

Likewise Shimon Peres, a man who has often been described as a war criminal, who is often remembered for his political slogan. “Settlements everywhere”.

President Barack Obama was also awarded the prize in his first year in office. He later went on to drop hundreds of thousands of bombs killing an unknown number of people in seven different countries.

In 2013 the OPCW were awarded the prize for their extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons. However in recent weeks and months, numerous leaks have revealed the gagging of staff highlighting the inconsistencies in the findings of the OPCW who accused Syrian President Bashar Al Assad of using chemical weapons.

So what began as an honorable tradition in 1895, has for many clearly become an institution that’s tainted. This year’s winners are clearly deserving. but the blatant use of the award when it comes to furthering a western agenda is too clear an issue to be passed off as mere coincidence.

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