President Donald Trump has seriously undermined democracy at home and abroad which has in turn increased global instability. That is not the actions of a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
By Tom Arms | London
MAGA (Make America Great Again) is not happy. Their leader. Their idol. Donald Trump is not this year’s recipient of what the Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary History calls “the most prestigious prize in the world”—the Nobel Peace Prize.
Of course, he never was going to be the name on the lips of announcing committee chairperson Jorgen Frydnes. At least not this week. Nominations for this year’s prize closed in January even before Trump was inaugurated.
But a little thing like a 124 year-old procedural rule was unlikely to stop a man who is running roughshod over a tried and tested 242-year-old constitution.
There is, of course, always next year. The president has, after all, negotiated six (or is it ten or 11) peace deals. And, even his harshest critics are saying that he deserves the $1.15 million prize money and gold medallion if the Gaza concord holds.
But reading between the lines of this year’s award the five-person Nobel Committee thinks otherwise.
They have given the prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for standing up for democratic values which are being trampled by Dictator Nicolas Maduro.
“Democracy,” said chairperson Frydnes, “is a pre-condition for lasting peace. However, we live in a world where democracy is in retreat. More and more authoritarian regimes are challenging the norms and turning to violence.
“Rule of law is abused by those in power. Free media is silenced. Critics are imprisoned and societies are pushed towards authoritarian rule and militarization.”
He went on to say that Ms Machado represents “precisely what lies at the heart of democracy: our shared willingness to defend the principles of popular rule, even though we disagree. At a time when democracy is under threat, it is more important than ever to defend this common ground.”
The chairperson did not mention Trump by name. He didn’t have to. In fact, the overt criticism was directed at Maduro, but the slightly veiled reproach was clearly intended for the American president.
He has politicized and weaponised the previously independent Department of Justice and FBI to seek retribution against his political enemies. He undermines the independence of the judiciary with inflammatory attacks on judges who rule for the constitution against him.
A free and vociferous media has long been one of the mainstays of American democracy. For more than two centuries it has played a vital role as a platform for reasoned debate and a tool for holding the powerful to account. Trump has stifled that mighty voice with law suits, tax inspections, threats to licenses and monopoly inquiries.
The American military has set an example for the world by remaining aloof from the political affray throughout its long history. Trump is ending that by sending troops into cities on the flimsiest of excuses to enforce his political objectives against the wishes of the local elected officials.
The president’s rhetoric alone should bar him from the peace prize. His democratically-elected opponents are “the enemies within,” and “traitors.” He is divisive when one of the first duties of a leader is to unite.
Finally, there are his tariffs. Economic factors are one of the major causes of war. Donald Trump’s tariffs have created hardship and instability in hundreds of countries—including his own.
Donald Trump should be applauded for his achievements in the Middle East. Hopefully the ceasefire that he pushed through will hold and lead to a lasting peace. Setting aside the Gaza Accords, the president should be praised for removing the destabilizing influence of Iran and replacing it with the positive influence of the Gulf Arab states.
But the Nobel Peace Prize Committee takes a holistic view of a nominee’s achievements. And holistically, speaking, President Donald Trump has seriously undermined democracy at home and abroad which has in turn increased global instability. That is not the actions of a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Read: Observations of an Expat: Gaza
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Tom Arms is foreign editor of Liberal Democrat Voice. He is also a regular contributor to “The New World” and the author of “The Encyclopedia of the Cold War” (two editions) and “America Made in Britain.”
