There have been great people who deserved the Nobel Peace Prize more than Henry Kissinger or Yasir Arafat but, then again, the award-giving Norwegian Nobel Committee reserves the right to choose. Here are some of those who missed the rightful glory.
Gandhi should have been an obvious winner. Who to better embody the spirit of peace than the most famous proponent of non-violence? As the ‘spiritual and political leader of the Indian independence movement, he advocated ‘nonviolent resistance as a means to effect social change.’ The Nobel committee, though, found him to be too much of an ordinary politician while being a peace activist.
Eleanor Roosevelt ‘supported an increase in the number of women working in government, advocated for relief programs specifically targeted toward women, opposed the poll tax on African-Americans, and spoke out in favor of the living wage.’ More than being a First Lady of the United States, she is best known for being ‘a leading feminist, an advocate for civil rights, and a strong proponent of the United Nations as an organization to advance world peace.’ A woman of her time, advocating for world peace and women’s rights, certainly made her stand out.
Vaclav Havel helped end Soviet domination of Czechoslovakia. ‘He subsequently integrated the Czech Republic into NATO and the European Union. Through his efforts, Czechoslovakia successfully undertook the famous 1989 Velvet Revolution, a ‘nonviolent overthrow of the communist regime.’
Corazon Aquino is the embodiment of nonviolent people power revolution. She toppled the 20-year dictatorial rule of Ferdinand Marcos and went on to preside over ‘the Philippines’ successful transition to democracy.’ Named as Time magazine’s Person of the Year when she lost the Nobel Peace Prize on the same year, Time wrote: “In a nation dominated for decades by a militant brand of macho politics, she conquered with tranquility and grace.” She was Asia’s first female president.
Via Foreign Policy
