A New Definition of Peacemaking 18 years, 11 months ago by Martey Dodoo

Olle Wastberg's New York Times editorial lays out why he thinks former New York City mayor Rudi Giuliani would make an excellent winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. It begins thus:

Today I will send a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee nominating the former mayor of New York City, Rudolph W. Giuliani, for the Nobel Peace Prize. As a former member of the Swedish Parliament I have the right to submit nominees - in the past I nominated Elie Wiesel, who won in 1986 - and I selected Mr. Giuliani because I believe that he has, through his political efforts, saved more human lives than most people alive today.

Wastberg follows up this generous comparison of Giuliani to Wiesel with several paragraphs lauding the former mayor's crime policy. Even if we take Wastberg's analysis that this policy was a success at face value, it cannot be denied that Giuliani's candidacy suffers from a limitation of scope; while making the city of New York a safer place is laudable, it is not worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. Considering the work done by the past Peace Prize laureates, for the Norwegian Nobel Committee to give the prize to Giuliani would cheapen the noble heights to which it aspires.