Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize was one of five prizes that Alfred Nobel established in his will. The others recognize accomplishments in physics, chemistry, medicine, and literature. During the past century, 112 persons or groups have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for, in the words of Alfred Nobel's bequest, their work for the brotherhood of nations and the abolishment or reduction of standing armies as well as for the establishment and spread of peace congresses. It is shameful that Gandhi was never so honored, but the list of peace prize winners does include some of the most highly regarded and influential people of the century, people like Dag Hammarskjöld, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela. Despite the prize and the work of its winners, the 20th century was the bloodiest century in human history. The number of war casualties, dead and wounded, military and civilian is literally countless, exceeding 100 million. Just since 1945, during the Cold War there have been as many as 150 hot wars involving more than 60 member nations of the United Nations, resulting in the death of more than 7 million military and almost 30 million civilians.

Happily no recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize would agree with Randolph Bourne's ironic remark in his essay The State that war is the health of the state. Most, however, would finish the thought by saying that war is inevitable. Alfred Nobel himself thought that wars are time after time incited by industrial robber barons. Some wars, almost all agree, are justifiable. Nazi Germany is the most compelling example. Others believe like Gandhi that, even if war is inevitable, it is not justifiable. The vast majority of people are inevitablists, but there are a few like Albert Camus, at least in his essays Neither Victims nor Executioners, who nevertheless are prepared to stake everything on the formidable gamble that war is neither inevitable nor justifiable.

If most people believe war to be inevitable and justifiable at least in some circumstances, there will be wars, and lots of them. Ralph Bunche, the recipient of the 1950 Prize, cautioned us in this regard with the words of Voltaire, that war is the greatest of all crimes, and yet there is no aggressor who does not color his crime with the pretext of justice. Perhaps part of the answer to our question how there can have been so many wars despite the peace prize is to be found in studying the attitudes of the prize recipients toward the relationship of peace and justice.

All the Nobel Peace Prize winners who gave lectures or made substantial speeches upon receiving the prize can be sorted into five categories:

• 1.
  Those who believe war is inevitable and, regardless of its justness, work to alleviate its consequences. Henri Dunant, founder of the Red Cross, and Mother Teresa come to mind.
• 2.
  Those who believe war is inevitable and just in some circumstances and work to ensure that only just wars are fought by establishing the laws of war. The Institute of International Law and Frank Kellogg come to mind.
• 3.
  Those who believe war is inevitable and just in some circumstances and work to reduce the injustices that cause war or who seek a just peace. Leon Jouhaux, who lectured on 50 years of trade union activity on behalf of peace, and George C. Marshall, U.S. secretary of state, come to mind.
• 4.
  Those who believe war is not inevitable but that some are justifiable and that others are not, and who work to reduce all causes of war. Bertha von Suttner and Ralph Bunche come to mind.
• 5.
  Those who have concluded that all wars, inevitable or not, are unjustifiable, and work to develop alternative ways to combat injustice. Jane Addams and Oscar Arias come to mind.

The initial Peace Prize was awarded to Henri Dunant. He was both the author of A Memory of Solferino, a powerful description of the horrors of battle, and the founder of what came to be known as the [Page 1037]International Red Cross, which was awarded the prize three times itself. The award to Dunant was controversial for several reasons. Many thought Bertha von Suttner should have received the first award. It is generally accepted that she led Alfred Nobel to the views that resulted in the provisions in his will establishing a peace prize. Many thought that the prize was all about ending war. An award to the founder of the Red Cross, which did nothing to prevent or end war, which in fact by making war more humane may well make it more acceptable, was shocking to many.

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