European Union wins Nobel Peace Prize for uniting continent

[Gerald]

(Reuters) - The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize for its long-term role in uniting the continent, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Friday, an award seen as morale boost for the bloc as it struggles to resolve its debt crisis.

The committee praised the 27-nation EU for rebuilding after World War Two and for its role in spreading stability to former communist countries after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...89A1N820121012


I'm sure there were better options.The prize, worth $1.2 million....goes to Bryssel.

Note: Fri Oct 12, 2012 5:09am EDT

[the_tyrant]

O boy, Skybird is gonna get angry

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Originally Posted by the_tyrant

O boy, Skybird is gonna get angry

...and won't be only one. This decision is ridiculous only exceeded in stupidity by Obama's one. I doubt Alfred Nobel meant heads of state and federal governments when writing his testament.

[the_tyrant]

Originally Posted by kraznyi_oktjabr

...and won't be only one. This decision is ridiculous only exceeded in stupidity by Obama's one. I doubt Alfred Nobel meant heads of state and federal governments when writing his testament.

Hey, anything to help the debt crisis right

Every little bit counts!

[Oberon]

It is a bit of a stretch to award it to an organisation rather than to a person...however in a manner of speaking I can see their point. This is one of the longest stretches of peace in Western Europe since Roman times!
So, in those terms alone, the EU deserves a peace prize.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by Oberon

This is one of the longest stretches of peace in Western Europe since Roman times!

Peace in the sense that there has been no physical war between member states, but politically there has been little peace, and nor will there ever be. It just ain't gonna happen, nations would need to be altruistic but there's nothing in it for them if they are, so they won't.

[Dread Knot]

Quick situational overview.

The Greeks are dressing up as Nazis and jeering Mrs Merkel, the German press is outraged, Irish villagers are marching against the crushing austerity that the Euro has brought, tens of thousands of Spaniards who feel they have no future are on the march, Catalonia is threatening to secede from Spain, British and French fisherman are having pitched battles off the coast of France, Hungary appears to be rapidly abandoning democracy, Neo Nazi Greeks are openly fire bombing immigrant houses and a huge disgruntled swathe of the UK population want a vote on EU membership.

Between this and the previous awards to Barack Obama and Al Gore, it's safe to say the Nobel Peace Prize has "jumped the shark".

I do find it ironic that Norway has rejected possible EU memembership twice in the past.

[joea]

Originally Posted by Oberon

It is a bit of a stretch to award it to an organisation rather than to a person...however in a manner of speaking I can see their point. This is one of the longest stretches of peace in Western Europe since Roman times!
So, in those terms alone, the EU deserves a peace prize.

I respectfully disagree, I think the Cold War and presence of thousands of troops from the US and USSR and loads of nuclear weapons, "tactical" as well as strategic for 40 years helped keep the peace more than anything else, though economic growth-in France called "les trentes glorieuses" meaning the 30 years of growth in that country from about 1945-75 played a role, sure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trente_Glorieuses

Not sure about the stats for other countries, I still maintain MAD was more important than the EEC and EU.

As for the Nobel peace prize, it already lost all credibility with me-I just feel bad the worthy scientific awards are possibly tarnished by association.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Oberon

It is a bit of a stretch to award it to an organisation rather than to a person...however in a manner of speaking I can see their point. This is one of the longest stretches of peace in Western Europe since Roman times!
So, in those terms alone, the EU deserves a peace prize.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to many organizations before. The Institute of International Law in 1904, the Red Cross in 1917 and 1944, plus a few others.

But I don't see why the EU should receive it, their members have been at peace for decades; I've not heard of the EU stopping a war between its members...