Nobel as a Barometer

... was a sign of desperation. It was awarded to Martti Ahtisaari for his Kosovo settlement plan, which not only failed to be implemented, but also led to the unlawful independence of Kosovo. This, in turn, provoked the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. The peace prizes awarded to Barack Obama in 2009, Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in 2010 and the European Union in 2012 were an attempt to influence the policies pursued by the main world players. While recognizing the role of major states, the Nobel Committee sought to encourage them to do something to repair the crumbling world architecture. Obama’s ...