Now, in a move that has sparked both disbelief and debate, US President Donald Trump is aggressively lobbying for the Nobel Peace Prize. But can a figure as polarising as Trump ever align with the Nobel’s spirit?

Alfred Nobel’s will (1895) established the foundational principle of the prize “for the greatest benefit to humankind”. Specifically, the famous will mandates the Nobel Peace Prize to be bestowed on someone who “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.

It is a tall ask, and it has therefore been given to achievers like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan etc., who have shaped the destiny of societies across the world.

However, like all awards, it has had its share of questionable winners like Henry Kissinger (who oversaw US bombings in Laos and Cambodia, after the award), Menachem Begin (who was involved in activities like Irgun bombings), Abiy Ahmed (who subsequently participated in a brutal civil war) etc.

Equally contentious has been the track record of certain denials of the Nobel Peace Prize to luminaries like Mahatma Gandhi (ostensibly owing to technicalities) or Eleanor Roosevelt — or even an odd case of Vietnamese Le Duc Tho, who refused to accept the Prize, as peace had not been established in Vietnam, conclusively.

But all said and done, it remains the most coveted award that carries........

© The Pioneer