
EU receives Nobel Peace Price - calibwam
http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/nobels_fredspris/1.8355716
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arrrg
Many people seem incredulous, I think it makes sense when you look back at
European history. European integration is a major factor that today Western
Europe is at peace (and there isn't even the slightest bit of danger of there
being a war among Western European nations) and doesn't look like the Balkans.

A war between Germany and France is completely unimaginable, no matter how
much the government in France and Germany might disagree, a war wouldn't even
make sense. Yes, the Cold War also contributed to that, but European
integration helped create a Europe that is not in disarray. Sure, there are
heated debates, crises and arguments (as should be expected and is very much
normal), but unlike in the past there is practically no danger that those
arguments could turn into war.

There are many things I do not like about how the European Union is set up
(most of that is historical baggage – creating the EU was a hard, long and
necessarily convoluted process), but with a peace prize I can agree.

But why now? The Nobel Peace Prize is supposed to encourage. Sometimes they
are a bit early with their encouragement (see Obama), but that's the general
idea. This is to say yes, the European project might have flaws, but it has
also been a force for good.

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johncoltrane
I used to think that the Peace Nobel Prize was a way to honor someone who did
something to advance peace. Then Al Gore got the prize for nothing related to
war or peace, then Obama got the prize and now the EU. What a joke.

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anonymouz
Yeah, slowly nurturing and fostering 60 years of peace on a traditionally war-
torn continent through peaceful economic and political integration. What a
joke.

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johncoltrane
Ever heard about the war in Yugoslavia? The clock was reset about 20 years
ago. Or about the continued involvment of many of its members in Irak,
Afghanistan or more recently in Lybia? Or about their enduring support of the
industry of armament? The UE never did anything to prevent wars or end them.
That's where the joke is.

~~~
anonymouz
The EU did not end all wars everywhere and create world peace, but between
it's members (and the members of the EEC before that) it sure did keep peace
pretty well.

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calibwam
[http://translate.google.no/translate?sl=no&tl=en&js=...](http://translate.google.no/translate?sl=no&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nrk.no%2Fnyheter%2Fnobels_fredspris%2F1.8355716&act=url)

Translated page for those of you who don't read Norwegian.

The announcement is made at 11 am local time, but the government run media had
received confirmation that the European Union will win the price this year.

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NonEUCitizen
which means it's still a rumor? [announcement is ~40 minutes away]

~~~
calibwam
No, NRK would not go out and say that they have it confirmed if it's still
just a rumor.

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lutusp
In the past I thought Nobel prizes should honor individual accomplishment, or
at most the joint accomplishment of three individuals. That has been the rule
until now, but it's changing, and I can see the logic of the change --
sometimes what's being honored is genuinely an institutional accomplishment.

Next year, it's likely we'll see a physics Nobel honoring CERN for discovering
the Higgs -- another appropriate example of an institutional Nobel.

~~~
dagw
The Peace Prize committee is an entirely separate entity from the rest of the
Nobel committee and like to make up their own rules. The committees
responsible for the science prizes are still bound by the rule that each prize
can only be awarded to 3 people or less.

~~~
lutusp
> The committees responsible for the science prizes are still bound by the
> rule that each prize can only be awarded to 3 people or less.

ITYM s/less/fewer/

Yes, but there's talk that this longstanding convention may be at least
temporarily broken with next year's physics Nobel. Little more than a rumor at
this point.

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eightbitman
I feel like the world would be a better place if everyone who is involved in
the decision making process for the peace prize was removed from that
authority, and they just started giving the award to the local "good
samaritan" in random, incredibly poor places that meet a threshold level of
peacefulness. If it was known globally that being a nice person in a peaceful,
poor place could get you a million dollars...

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ttjervaag
It's confirmed: EU is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

