the peacemakers alfred nobel b. 1833 in stockholm, d. 1896 - father was industrialist –...

The Peacemakers

Alfred Nobel

b. 1833 in Stockholm, d. 1896- father was industrialist – construction business- made fortune making sea - mines- Alfred well-educated w/ interests in poetry and sciences- had more than 355 patents, including…

- never married

- Bertha von Suttner - peace activist- probably influenced his inclusion of Peace Prize

(won Peace Prize in 1905)

…dynamite

The Nobel Peace Prize

“Perhaps my factories will put an end to war sooner than your congresses: on the day that two army corps can mutually annihilate each other in a second, all civilised nations will surely recoil with horror and disband their troops.”Letter to Bertha von Suttner

Does deterrence work?

- intended his invention of dynamite be used for industrial, not military purposes

The Nobel Peace PrizeHis Will

“… the interest on which (his estate) shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind…one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” - never saw the

destructive use of his invention in WWI- understood the need to build structures for world peace


Facts- 93 times awarded- 19 times – no winners (usually during times of war)- 100 individual laureates & 21 organization laureates- International Red Cross won 3 times- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees won 2 times- award is approximately $1.4 million - 23 American individuals & organizations- 15 women have been winners

The Nobel Peace Prize – 2011 winners

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Leymah Gbowee Tawakkol Karman

“…for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work… We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless

women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society…” - Thorbjoern Jagland

- Second time three individuals have shared the prize

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2011/johnson_sirleaf.html

The Nobel Peace Prize – 2012 winner

European Union

“…for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy

and human rights in Europe.”

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2011/johnson_sirleaf.html

The Nobel Peace Prize Winners (and some who did not)

http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=829

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eleanor_Roosevelt_at_United_Nations.gif

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mussolini-ggbain.jpg


The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Nobel Peace PrizeThe Bad

Yasir (Yasser) Arafat (1929-2004)

- Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

- President of the Palestinian National Authority

- leader of the Fatah political party1994 Winner

The Nobel Peace PrizeYasir Arafat

… for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East.

For several decades, the conflict between Israel and its neighbour states, and between Israelis and Palestinians, has been among the most irreconcilable and menacing in international politics. The parties have caused each other great suffering.

By concluding the Oslo Accords, and subsequently following them up, Arafat, Peres and Rabin have made substantial contributions to a historic process through which peace and cooperation can replace war and hate.

… The award of the Nobel Peace Prize for 1994 to Arafat, Peres and Rabin is intended by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to honour a political act which called for great courage on both sides, and which has opened up opportunities for a new development towards fraternity in the Middle East. It is the Committee’s hope that the award will serve as an encouragement to all the Israelis and Palestinians who are endeavouring to establish lasting peace in the region.


The Oslo Accords

- first direct agreement between Israel & PLO

- framework for future negotiations and settlement of Palestinian conflict with Israel

- create Palestinian National Authority to administer Palestinian territory

- borders established later for creation of two-state solution


- gun-runner during 1948 Arab-Israeli War

- help found Fatah – dedicated to liberation of Palestinians through armed conflict- found guilty of murdering a pro-Syrian Palestinian leader in Syria

- terrorism becomes official policy of PLO in 1970s

- involved in 1972 Munich Olympic massacre


- US accusation - 1973 Khartoum diplomatic assassination of 5 diplomats and 5 hostages “was planned and carried out with the full knowledge and personal approval of Yasser Arafat”

- involvement in Lebanese civil war (1975-1990 – 250,000 civilians killed)

- intifada

- personal wealth estimated at $1.3 billion


Deserving?

What did he accomplish?

Are Peace Accords a key factor in creating permanent

peace?

The Nobel Peace PrizeThe Bad, cont.

Henry Kissinger (1923 - )

- National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon & Ford

- developed policy of détente with Soviet Union

- open relations with Communist China

- brokered Paris Peace Accords ending Vietnam War

The Nobel Peace PrizeHenry Kissinger

At its meeting on October 16 the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Storting decided to award the Peace Prize for 1973 to Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho, the two chief negotiators who succeeded in arranging the ceasefire after negotiating for nearly four years.

For many long and bitter years the civilian population of Vietnam and the fighting troops engaged on both sides had borne the sufferings and privations of war. This was a war that concerned not only Vietnam and its people; it was a war moreover that had poisoned the atmosphere in countries and between countries all over the world…

…Today a handful of great statesmen are sitting down at the conference table, deciding the question of war and peace in the world.

But the millions of people whose fate is at stake cannot allow the politicians to carry the burdens and responsibility alone. By means of an active and positive world opinion we must make our contribution to the fulfillment of our hopes for peace.


Irrespective of national boundaries the peoples of this world, and not least the peace organisations, must speak with one voice, the voice of peace, so loudly that the politicians are forced to listen.

There are people today who cynically shrug their shoulders at negotiated agreements. This is an amoral, nay, a dangerous attitude. Ceasefire agreements between states must not be called in question, they must not be interpreted merely as paper resolutions, but as a moral and inviable obligation between the states that have signed them. Only with an honest approach of this kind to the intentions and obligations of international agreements can they help us along the road to peace.

The peace at which we must aim must not be limited merely to the avoidance of military conflict. Real peace in the world can only mean that all of us, in every country, should make it possible for people, irrespective of race, religion, ideology, or nationality, to live a life free from fear, free from violence, free from terrorism - a life in which the fundamental human rights are the secure and imperishable possession of every single human being.


- Chile- helped overthrow popularly elected government of Salvador Allende- install Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990)

Nixon: Nothing new of any importance or is there?Kissinger: Nothing of very great consequence. The Chilean thing is getting consolidated and of course the newspapers are bleeding because a pro-Communist government has been overthrown.Nixon: Isn’t that something. Isn’t that something.


Kissinger: I mean instead of celebrating – in the Eisenhower period we would be heroes.Nixon: Well we didn’t – as you know – our hand doesn’t show on this one though.Kissinger: We didn’t do it. I mean we helped them. [garbled] created the conditions as great as possible.Nixon: That is right. And that is the way it is going to be played. But listen to me, as far as people are concerned let me say they are not going to buy this crap from the Liberals on this one.


Pinochet responsible for 3200 deaths and more than 250,000 detained and tortured, including numerous Americans-never tried for human rights violations- Charles Horman

- Argentina – “déjà vu” all over again 1976-1983- wars in Africa – Angola & present-day Zimbabwe- Bombings in Cambodia


Deserving?

What did he accomplish?

Was his work a key factor in creating permanent peace?

The Nobel Peace PrizeThe Good

Mother Teresa (1910-1997)- b. Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Macedonia (Ottoman Empire)- joined order of Irish nuns with missions in India in 1928- left convent in 1946 to serve the “poorest of the poor”- formed Missionaries of Charity order - added “to give wholehearted, free service to the very poorest” to their vow

1979 Peace Prize Winner

The Nobel Peace PrizeMother Teresa

In making the award the Norwegian Nobel Committee has expressed its recognition of Mother Teresa’s work in bringing help to suffering humanity. This year the world has turned its attention to the plight of children and refugees, and these are precisely the categories for whom Mother Teresa has for many years worked so selflessly.

The Committee has placed special emphasis on the spirit that has inspired her activities and which is the tangible expression of her personal attitude and human qualities.

A feature of her work has been respect for the individual human being, for his or her dignity and innate value. The loneliest, the most wretched and the dying have, at her hands, received compassion without condescension, based on reverence for man.

This is not the first time the Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Peace Prize for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress in the world, which also constitute a threat to peace. It has awarded the Peace Prize to champions of human rights, including those who have fought for racial equality.


…I think that we in our family don’t need bombs and guns, to destroy to bring peace - just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world.

There is so much suffering, so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice are beginning at home. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do. It is to God Almighty - how much we do it does not matter, because He is infinite, but how much love we put in that action. How much we do to Him in the person that we are serving.- Nobel Laureate speech, 11 December, 1979


So what did she actually do?- Missionaries of Charity

& refugees

- services provided regardless of caste or religion- order now works in over 133 countries around the world

- care for sick and homeless- soup kitchens- schools for the destitute- disaster relief- have aided those abandoned by society – prostitutes, orphans, lepers, AIDS victims,- hospices for the dying


Controversy- accusations of poor conditions in hospices and hospitals- Lancet claims unsanitary conditions – eg., reuse of needles, terminally ill housed with sick, lack of trained professional doctors- accusations of misused funds- accusations of lack of transparency (Keating & Duvalier)


A lot of people help the poor; so, why did she win?- inspiration to those hoping to help- growth of organization into world relief- respect for the individual and the individual’s worth and dignity- compassion devoid of condescension- giver gets more than recipient


Mother Teresa is one of those liberated souls who have transcended all barriers presented by race, religion, and nationality. In our present- day troubled world, incessantly plagued by conflict and hatred, the life that is lived and the work that is carried out by people like Mother Teresa bring new hope for the future of mankind.Republic of India in recognition of her work- “seed of good”


Will her work help to create real and permanent peace?

The Nobel Peace PrizeThe Good, cont.

Jody Williams (aka J.K. Rowling) 1950 - - b. in Vermont and trained as ESL teacher - received MA in International Relations in 1984- 1984-86 - co-coordinator of the Nicaragua-Honduras Education Project- 1986-92 - deputy director of Medical Aid for El Salvador – humanitarian organization 1997 Winner

The Nobel Peace PrizeJody Williams

1992 – founder of International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)- achieved its goal of an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines during the diplomatic conference held in Oslo in 1997

- honored also for her organizational skills-model for future movements for peace- mobilized 1,000s of organizations worldwide to join movement


- used modern technology to reach many groups and signed them onto helping process – 1400 organizations in 90 countries!!

“Imagine trying to get hundreds of organizations – each one independent and working on many, many issues – to feel that each is a critical element of the development of a new movement. I wanted each to feel that what they had to say about campaign planning, thinking, programs, actions was important. So, instead of sending letters, I’d send everyone faxes. People got in the habit of faxing back. This served two purposes – people would really have to think about what they were committing to doing before writing it down, and we have a permanent, written record of almost everything in the development of the campaign from day one.” Jody Williams


- Mine Ban Treaty or Ottawa Treaty- calls for ending production of mines and destruction and removal of mines- according to 2009 Landmine Monitor Report – 44 millions mines destroyed and 86 countries have destroyed all their mines- reduced mine-affected areas from 200,000 square km to 3000 square km- original treaty had 122 signatory nations, today 156 have signed (up to 161)- biggest holdouts include China, Russia, India, andthe United States


- big supporter of her work before her death was Princess Diana

How valuable is her work? Why not ban all mines or even all weapons?

Is this the beginning of a permanent peace process?

Is she more effective than Mother Teresa?

The Nobel Peace PrizeThe Ugly (I am not saying these people are

ugly, just Anthony)

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)- nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947, & 1948- murdered in January, 1948- no award in 1948 – “no suitable candidate”- Nobel committee regretted lack of award – saying the award to Dalai Lama was “in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi”

The Nobel Peace PrizeMahatma Gandhi

- no reason ever given for oversight- So, what did he do?

- Hindu beliefs of non-violence & tolerance- South Africa- break unjust and repressive laws – be willing

to accept punishments for breaking laws- reject legitimacy of law and make oppressive regime see this- becomes basis for Indian independence from Great Britain


- also worked to unite Hindus, Christians, and Muslims in India- stop discrimination against Untouchables – laws passed protecting rights- So why didn’t he win?

- Nobel committee’s focus was too narrow – 1948, most winners were from west- also, not a politician – did not lead an organization or establish peace congresses- regarded as special but criticized as not “consistent”

The Nobel Peace PrizeMahatma Gandhi - Criticism

- Indian nationalist – ignored blacks in S. Africa- his movement led to violence – 1921- “… he is a freedom fighter and a dictator, an idealist and a nationalist. He is frequently a Christ, but then, suddenly, an ordinary politician.”- greatest accomplishment was also greatest defeat- Indian independence was accompanied by Indian partition


- posthumous award discussed- “…it seems beyond doubt that a posthumous award would be contrary to the intentions of the testator”- reasonable to assume he would have won had he lived

- selected as Time “Person of the Year” in 1930 and runner-up as “Person of the Century” to Albert Einstein- India awards Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace PrizeThe Ugly, continued

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)- Nominated in 1947, 1949, & 1955- wife of Franklin Roosevelt – so what?!- First US Ambassador to UN- drafted UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights with René Cassin, who won Prize (1968)- also fought for women’s rights- forced 1924 Democratic National Convention to select women delegates

The Nobel Peace PrizeEleanor Roosevelt

- Established lists of qualified women for her husbands to consider for executive appts- Frances Perkins – 1st woman Cabinet member – Secretary of Labor

- pressed for civil rights – anti-lynching laws, more support for education for African-Americans- “wherever the standard of education is low, the standard of living is low”

The Nobel Peace PrizeEleanor Roosevelt

Deserving Recipient?

How does she stack up to Yasser Arafat, Henry Kissinger, and …

2009 Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize?

The Reconciler: Nelson Mandela

b. 1918 - Rolihlahla (troublemaker) Mandela – name Nelson given to him by a teacher

- first member of family to attend school

- at 30, becomes politically active with election of Afrikaner-dominated National Party government support apartheid policies – official policy of South Africa

Apartheid – white supremacy

- four classes of people whites, blacks, colored (mixed race), & Asians – many subgroups

- laws prohibit mixing of people separate living places based on skin color or racial identity

Nelson Mandela- forces removals

- identity cards

- marriage or sex between racially diverse people criminalized

- segregation

- discrimination

- disenfranchisement

Nelson MandelaAfrican National Congress (ANC) – formed in early 1900s to fight against injustice against blacks in Africa

- Mandela joins and leads different branches

- forms law firm with Oliver Tambo to provide free or low-cost legal counsel to many blacks who lacked attorney representation

- initially committed to non-violent resistance (Gandhi)

- arrested in 1956 for treason with 150 other activists all acquitted

- calls for more radical actions against apartheid

Nelson MandelaMarch 21, 1960 – Sharpesville Massacre – 69 people killed by police

1961 – formation of “Umkhonto we Sizwe” (Spear of the Nation) – military wing of ANC led by Mandela

- coordinated sabotage campaign to end apartheid prepare for guerilla war, if necessary

- “…blast the symbolic places of apartheid, like pass offices, native magistrates courts, and things like that ... post offices and ... the government offices. But we were to do it in such a way that nobody would be hurt, nobody would get killed.” - fellow ANC member Wolfie Kadesh Is this terrorism or freedom fighting?

Nelson MandelaI, and the others who started the organization, did so for two reasons. Firstly, we believed that as a result of Government policy, violence by the African people had become inevitable, and that unless responsible leadership was given to canalize and control the feelings of our people, there would be outbreaks of terrorism which would produce an intensity of bitterness and hostility between the various races of this country which is not produced even by war. Secondly, we felt that without violence there would be no way open to the African people to succeed in their struggle against the principle of white supremacy. All lawful modes of expressing opposition to this principle had been closed by legislation, and we were placed in a position in which we had either to accept a permanent state of inferiority, or to defy the Government. We chose to defy the law. We first broke the law in a way which avoided any recourse to violence; when this form was legislated against, and then the Government resorted to a show of force to crush opposition to its policies, only then did we decide to answer violence with violence.

But the violence which we chose to adopt was not terrorism. We who formed Umkhonto were all members of the African National Congress, and had behind us the ANC tradition of non-violence and negotiation as a means of solving political disputes. We believe that South Africa belongs to all the people who live in it, and not to one group, be it black or white. We did not want an interracial war, and tried to avoid it to the last minute.

August, 1962 – arrested & charged with leading illegal strike (CIA helped)

- sentenced to 5 years in prison

- July, 1963 – charged with sabotage and plotting foreign invasion (admitted to planning sabotage)

- “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Nelson Mandela

- sentenced to life imprisonment in June, 1964

- performed hard labor in prison quarry

- little rations and only 1 visitor and letter every 6 months

- becomes internationally famous

- February, 1985 – offered freedom if he renounced violence – “What freedom am I being offered while the organisation of the people remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.”

- Free Mandela movement

Nelson Mandela- February, 1990 – F.W. De Klerk renounces ban on ANC & announces release of Mandela- 27 years in prison- returns to the leadership of the ANC and, between 1990 and 1994, led the party in the multi-party - F. W. de Klerk, was recognized when they were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 - for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa- April 1993 - assassination of ANC leader Chris Hani- fear of riots and breakdown of negotiations

Nelson Mandela“Tonight I am reaching out to every single South African, black and white, from the very depths of my being. A white man, full of prejudice and hate, came to our country and committed a deed so foul that our whole nation now teeters on the brink of disaster. A white woman, of Afrikaner origin, risked her life so that we may know, and bring to justice, this assassin. The cold-blooded murder of Chris Hani has sent shock waves throughout the country and the world. ...Now is the time for all South Africans to stand together against those who, from any quarter, wish to destroy what Chris Hani gave his life for – the freedom of all of us.”

Nelson Mandela

- assassination & speech places negotiations back on track- new national elections for April, 1994- Mandela wins Presidency- policy achievements numerous

o compulsory educationo health careo land reformo fair labor practiceo occupational safetyo infrastructure renewal & repair

Nelson MandelaTruth & Reconciliation Commission

…we are overwhelmed by the awfulness of evil that has been revealed, but we are exhilarated by the incredible magnanimity of people…let us shut the door on that past and now move forward together to enjoy the glorious future which God is holding out to all of us. – Desmond Tutu

Nelson Mandela Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC)

- court-like body assembled in South Africa after the end of Apartheid

- Desmond Tutu blessings from Nelson Mandela

- transition from apartheid Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act

- bear witness to crimes- record and in some cases grant amnesty to the perpetrators of crimes relating to human rights violations- reparation and rehabilitation

Nelson Mandela Truth & Reconciliation Commission

- more than 21,000 people testified from 1995 to 1998- “... a necessary exercise to enable South Africans to come to terms with their past on a morally accepted basis and to advance the cause of reconciliation.”- primary objective preach forgiveness to heal the emotions and wounds of hatred or anger that had been created by the apartheid- “…would you be able to forgive the people who did this to you and your family?” She answered, “We would like to forgive, but we would just like to know who to forgive.”


Three committees:- Human Rights Violations Committee

- investigated human rights abuses that occurred between 1960 and 1994

- Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee

- restoring victims’ dignity and formulating proposals to assist with rehabilitation

- Amnesty Committee - considered applications from individuals who applied for amnesty- two conditions crimes were politically motivated & whole truth told


People charged with crimes include:- ordinary citizens- members of the police - political leaders- members of the African National Congress

7112 people applied for amnesty- granted 849 times- denied 5392 times- many withdrew application


Did it work?October 28, 1998 - Commission presented its report, which condemned both sides for atrocities committed- generally regarded as very successful- “All participants perceived the TRC to be effective in bringing out the truth, however, in varying degrees. The Afrikaners perceived the TRC to be less effective in bringing out the truth than the English participants and much less effective than did the Xhosa...” – Jay & Erica Vora- reconciliation harder to measure


Criticism of TRC – both sides- did not achieve reconciliation- blacks feel too many granted amnesty for terrible crimes – lack of justice- political expediency keep capitalist system, possible cause of apartheid?- too quick- large number of victims still not compensated lack of reparations

- overall TRC is regarded as successful few incidents of racial violence or retaliation since report- model for other nations

How important is truth and reconciliation?

Yip’s Three-Fold Path to Peace

1.Political Will

2.Social Justice

3.Truth and Reconciliation

the peacemakers alfred nobel b. 1833 in stockholm, d. 1896 - father was industrialist –...

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lasting peace

advancement of peace

nobel peace prize winners

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promotion of peace congresses

suttner peace activist