Arne O. Holm says A Peace Prize On Crutches
Nobel's diploma for this year's peace prize winner, Maria Corina Machado. (Artist: Sverre Bjertnæs/The Norwegian Nobel Institute)
Comment: Peace prize winner Maria Corina Machado was met with protests instead of peace walks when she finally arrived in Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. One of the reasons is her close ties to Donald Trump. Such reasoning opens up for endless protests across Europe.
This is a comment written by a member of the editorial staff. All views expressed are the writer's own.
There are many miles between the High North and Venezuela. Therefore, I won't comment on this year's peace prize, other than to state that it is given to a woman who, despite her election victory, is being persecuted by a dictatorial regime that clings to power in her home country.
Relatable
What I will comment on, however, is whether her ties to Donald Trump should be disqualifying.
On the surface, it looks bad. Donald Trump is preparing for something that could look like a war against the dictatorship in Venezuela, and the peace prize winner has dedicated her prize to Donald Trump. Absurd in many ways.
Absurd, but also relatable.
Because hardly anyone grovels more for the US president than his colleagues in Europe.
Hardly anyone grovels more for Trump.
The US administration recently presented its strategic analysis of Europe. I don't know whether Donald Trump has read it or not. He is notorious for not being familiar with the content or the consequences of the administration's policies.
Contempt of democracy
If anything, the US strategy largely illustrates a contempt for democratic processes in Europe. Not unexpectedly, Russia is pleased with the analysis and has, to a great degree, agreed with the American description of a world heading towards its demise.
The European subservience in the face of Donald Trump is therefore no less than what this year's peace prize winner is criticized for.
The almost servile trust in how the US, under Trump's leadership, will come to the High North's aid in the event of a military conflict with Russia is more a political than a military problem.
Perhaps we should rid ourselves of our crutch before criticizing others.
The political Europe legitimizes Trump's foreign policy by avoiding standing up against him. They are in no way exploiting how the dependence goes both ways.
As NATO today is dependent on the US, the US is also dependent on NATO and Europe in its economic, if not ideological, power struggle with China and Russia.
Peace prize winner Maria Corina Machado is rightly criticized for using the US and Donald Trump as a crutch in her fight against the Venezuelan regime.
But perhaps we should tone down the criticism a bit until we have gotten rid of our own crutch.
