By Jan Oberg
December 2, 2020
Since 2007, a number of TFF Associates – Fredrik Heffermehl to mention the leading world expert on it – have been engaged in creating awareness of the de facto and de jure misuse of the world’s in principle most prestigious prize – Alfred Nobel’s for peace.
We usually do not post appeals on this public education for peace site. But this appeal, crafted by Heffermehl and David Swanson – deserves to be here.
Please go to the appeal now and sign it. It is common sense and it is uncontroversial – unless you happen to believe in two things: a) that violence and war is better than peace, and b) that it’s OK that those who manage a will ignore its stated purpose completely over about a century and – with a few important exceptions – use it instead for the opposite purpose than intended by the testator.
The testator, Alfred Nobel, stated so clearly in his will that his prize should go “to the person who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses.”
In short, the Nobel Peace Prize aims at the abolition of the means of war and the rewarding of “champions of peace”. It is clearly and anti-militarism prize. And not a do-good-human rights-environment-humanitarian-or-everything-else prize!
For decades, the Nobel Committee consists basically of parliamentarians from Norwegian political parties. That doesn’t guarantee any expertise on peace and disarmament. It would be considered bizarre if such a group would decide the prizes for, say, physics, literature, or medicine!
Nobel had this to say about who should decide the peace prize: “that for champions of peace by a committee of five persons to be selected by the Norwegian Storting.”
“Selected by…” was hijacked by the Norwegian political establishment to mean “consisting of” MPs.
It’s indeed time to finally get things right around a will written in 1895!
You can help: Sign the appeal!
Now!
If you think this is an important issue, support TFF’s work to bring back the Prize to the champions of peace worldwide – hit