The Nobel Peace Prize: Not just humanitarian but also political and controversial

Leading up to the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize, there is widespread speculation about who will win.

There are 351 nominees for the 2023 prize, 259 individuals and 92 organizations. Although the list is confidential, there is widespread speculation about who’s on it, including favourites and long shots, repeat and first-time nominees.

This global moment of interest in peace is important, but it doesn’t tell us much other than that peace is elusive.

Looking at the longer history of the Nobel Peace Prize tells us that peace takes many forms, including ending armed conflicts, resisting racial discrimination, standing up for the oppressed and caring for the vulnerable. Peace can also be political and controversial.

Taking a stand against war

The early recipients were usually prominent men from Europe and the United States, and their peace work took the form of preventing or ending wars.

The first Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded in 1901 to Frédéric Passy, a French economist and politician who founded the French Peace Society and organized a peace congress in 1878. American president Theodore Roosevelt received the 1906 prize for “his role in bringing to an end the bloody war recently waged between two of the world’s great powers, Japan and Russia.”

Over time, the list of laureates has expanded to include women...

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