The Nobel Peace prize was politicized years ago. Such recipients as Henry Kissinger and a young Barack Obama reveal that the prize does not go to peacemakers in the mold of Gandhi, but to utilitarians who seek peace within the context of Western domination. One might suggest, for the sake of honesty, the award be renamed the NATO Peace Prize.
This year the award has been given to the group inspecting Syria’s chemical weapons, with no such demands on Israel and the U.S. to destroy their stockpiles on the same schedule. Many Syrians are outraged, feeling that their struggle and the masses that died by conventional weapons are being swept under the rug.
Many thought the prize would go to young Malala Yousafzai, who has spoken so courageously for the worldwide education of women, even after she was shot in the head by the Taliban in an effort to silence her.
The Taliban continues to threaten to kill her. Malala was on Jon Stewart who asked what he would say if a Taliban approached her again. She said, “I would tell him how important education is and that I would even want education for your children as well. That’s what I want to tell you, now do what you want.”
Come to think of it, the NATO peace prize has become a joke any way. This young woman of 16 doesn’t need the affirmation of the powers that be. Her reward is the gratitude of people all over the world that recognize her as a peacemaker.