On December 10, 1896 Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, died. Nobel, not being satisfied with the sheer destructive power he unleashed upon the world, decided to bequeath his fortune to a series of ill-defined annual prizes.[1] The fifth and final prize was to be given to individuals “who shall have 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.” Earlier this month that prize, the Nobel Peace Prize, was awarded to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo for "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China."
Liu, in prison since June 2009, was one the favorites to win the prize last year. Last year’s selection, if you remember, was the source of much criticism. It was awarded to President Obama, who hardly had any achievements to his credit when the announcement was made. This time around it appears the selection committee was trying to make amends by acknowledging an imprisoned dissident who is hardly known outside of human rights circles.
Despite appearances the honoring of Liu is not a break from the pattern that has developed over the last few years. The inclusion of President Obama, Al Gore and the IPCC, and Mohamed El Baradei and the IAEA as Nobel laureates has turned the Nobel Peace Prize into political statement. It is no longer recognition of achievements but a statement of aspiration.
Some have argued this prize will encourage the Chinese democracy movement.[2] This seems unlikely. Most Chinese have never heard of Liu Xiaobo. A more likely outcome is that China will use this as an excuse to imprison and intimidate democracy activists. In fact crackdowns have already begun. The authorities placed Liu’s wife under house arrest before the weekend was over.
Even if the spotlight now shining on Liu is bright enough to empower democracy activists it is still an award for something that has yet to happen.[3] China is not a democracy and although Liu has given a voice to thousands of dissidents it is questionable whether his actions have made China any less authoritarian.
If Liu was not deserving of the prize then who should it have gone to? In my opinion, there was no candidate worthy of such an honor.
These are tumultuous times. To varying degrees armed conflict is being waged on nearly every continent. News of human rights violations becomes more shocking with each passing day. There are good people, great people, working on solutions. But we have not yet fulfilled our potential. Peace has not come to pass in this world. We are a long way from tranquility. I do not mean to diminish the accomplishments of Liu or any other Nobel laureates. Their accomplishments are awe inspiring by any standard.
But the Nobel Peace Prize should be an acknowledgement of a job well done, not a signal of the way we wish things to be or an admonishment of the way things are.
Since 1901 the Nobel Committee has declined to name a laureate 19 times. My hope is that the Nobel Committee does not reward a prize next year or the year after until we find an individual who has made the world significantly better. A year without a laureate does not mean we have failed. It just means we have not yet succeeded.
[1] The Nobel Prize in Literature is supposed to be awarded to those individuals who produced "in the field of literature, the most outstanding work in an ideal direction." Sound simple? Then explain why Dario Fo is a Nobel laureate and James Joyce is not.
[2] William Inboden thinks that President Obama should hold a live press conference calling on China to release Liu. How this will lead to democracy is unclear. Also unclear is what dimension Inboden hails from. This reality’s Obama administration cancels meetings with the Dalai Lama and backpedals on statements regarding the yuan. A statements about Chinese political prisoners from the highest levels of government does not really seem like it’s in the cards.
[3] Liu will most certainly not reap the full benefits of becoming a Nobel laureate. The Chinese government will not allow to travel to Oslo to deliver his Nobel lecture nor will he allowed to accept his prize money.
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