When we take a closer look at today’s world leaders, it’s hard to find anyone with true diplomatic maturity or the wisdom of real statesmanship. Most seem well caught in a race to prove their point, no matter how irrational or morally bankrupt it may be. Shockingly, some are even supporting regimes that are heartlessly bombing civilians for years on end. There’s little trace of humanity in their decisions. The hunger for power seems to have made them less compassionate, more arrogant and domineering. Just imagine the plight of surviving bereaved civilians in Ukraine and Gaza who are not just without proper food but struggling for a drop of clean water – a reality that never once stirred the conscience of global superpowers.
Take Donald Trump. His loud call to “make America great again” has only added more confusion to an already unstable global scene. Obsessed with his country's gains, he rarely looked beyond the arithmetic of profit. As long as nations were buying arms from him, he didn't mind them tearing each other apart. He was almost poised to break the sovereignty of Canada. Anyone who threatened America's economy became his public enemy number one. Trump was visibly incensed when he heard of Apple's Tim Cook's decision to expand his investment in India. The president retorted – “Tim, you're my friend. I treated you very good. You're coming in with $500 billion, but now I hear you're building all over India. I don't want you building in India.” And yet, despite being knee-deep in chaos and controversy, Trump still nurtures the ambition of winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The irony couldn't be starker.
It's no secret that Pakistan has long been involved in nurturing terrorism against India. But General Asim Munir, who himself was accused of mindlessly inciting extremist, was warmly embraced by Trump. Donald Trump was overjoyed when Munir endorsed him for the Peace Prize. It's baffling. Honestly, I don't think Barack Obama deserved it either. And, if Trump ever manages to bag the Nobel Peace Prize, it would reek of a backroom deal rather than a genuine honour.
Yes, unlike fifty years ago, the dignity and sanctity of the Nobel Peace Prize in certain categories have greatly declined.
(NS)
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