The administration of US President Donald Trump has issued a sharp criticism of the Nobel Committee. This time, Trump's team accused the committee of "choosing politics, not peace." This was reported by The Washington Post.
According to reports, the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado caused significant discontent within the Trump administration. The president's communications director, Stephen Chung, issued a statement stating that Trump will continue his efforts to ensure international peace and stop wars. At the same time, the official statement did not mention the Nobel laureate and the possible US response.
According to The Washington Post, Donald Trump has been openly seeking the Nobel Peace Prize in recent years, trying to present himself as an initiator of peace, saying that if he didn't receive the award, "it would be an insult to the country."
In particular, the announcement of a preliminary ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on October 9th, following Trump's direct calls, further fueled the debate.
Norwegian media are highlighting the announcement of the award and its possible consequences as the main topic. The national broadcaster NRK discussed whether the US would punish Norway, while TV2 called the awarding of the award to someone else an "insult against Trump."
Professor of Political Science at the University of Oslo, Benedict Bull, noted that it's no secret that Norway is experiencing a "mood of fear" this year - because awarding the award to another candidate could cause economic or political pressure from the US president.
Some Norwegian politicians expressed concern even before the award was announced. Socialist Left Party leader Christie Bergstö stated that Trump "doesn't always accept correctly" the independence of the Nobel Committee. Former Foreign Minister Jan Petersen emphasized that the Norwegian government must be prepared for a possible US reaction.
Norway has faced such a situation before in history. After the awarding of the prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in 2010, China severed diplomatic relations for several years in response to this decision.
Norwegian officials emphasize that the Nobel Committee will make its decisions independently this time as well. At the same time, local media reported that the laureate was chosen long before the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza.
Thus, the debates surrounding the Nobel Prize once again revealed the fine line between peace and politics.
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