Mother Theresa Undeserving of Nobel Peace Prize, Author Says
In his 1895 last will and testament, Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist and philanthropist who invented dynamite, decreed that part of his vast fortune be used to create the awards that now carry his name, including the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Peace Prize, the only one awarded by a Norwegian committee, was to be presented each year 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."
Only 45 percent of the Nobel Peace Prizes attributed since World War II are in line with the spirit and terms of Nobel's will, according to Norwegian lawyer Fredrik Heffermehl, author of the book "Nobels vilje" ("Nobel's Will").
"Disarmament and anti-militarism was what Nobel wanted to promote," Heffermehl told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten's English desk.
Over half of recent awards don't cut the mustard
In his book, Heffermehl analyzes all of the 118 Peace Prizes awarded from 1901 until 2007. In the years before 1940, nearly 85 percent of the prizes awarded were in accordance with Nobel's wishes. Since the Second World War the original aims have been particularly misinterpreted, with a mere 45 percent making the grade, he said.
Read entire article at Deutsche Welle
The Peace Prize, the only one awarded by a Norwegian committee, was to be presented each year 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."
Only 45 percent of the Nobel Peace Prizes attributed since World War II are in line with the spirit and terms of Nobel's will, according to Norwegian lawyer Fredrik Heffermehl, author of the book "Nobels vilje" ("Nobel's Will").
"Disarmament and anti-militarism was what Nobel wanted to promote," Heffermehl told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten's English desk.
Over half of recent awards don't cut the mustard
In his book, Heffermehl analyzes all of the 118 Peace Prizes awarded from 1901 until 2007. In the years before 1940, nearly 85 percent of the prizes awarded were in accordance with Nobel's wishes. Since the Second World War the original aims have been particularly misinterpreted, with a mere 45 percent making the grade, he said.