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The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

European Union wins the Nobel Peace Prize

The European Union was awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize last week for its history of and commitment to maintaining peace in Europe.

According to a press release published by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the EU has time and time again succeeded “in the struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights,” and transformed Europe into a “continent of peace.”

The Nobel Committee recognized that the EU is still undergoing economic trouble, but chose to focus on the aforementioned achievements. Erik Tillman, a political science professor at DePaul, said this award shines a positive light on the organization’s current struggles.

“This is a good time to remind or reaffirm the things the EU has done,” Tillman said.

The organization was originally designed with the idea of maintaining peace between France and Germany after World War II, and Tillman said it’s certainly succeeded in that respect. It also has a long history of promoting democratization and human rights in Europe, and membership into the EU is strict to ensure that states are committed to those ideals.

“This is where the EU had a more clear and direct effect,” Tillman said.

The EU is not the first international governmental organization (IGO) or non-governmental organization (NGO) to receive the award. After World War I, for example, Tillman said the Red Cross won for its work with prisoners of war. However, the EU is also a “quasi-state actor,” according to Tillman, which makes its nomination a bit more unusual than the others.

Despite its successes, critics have cited the recent economic crisis in Europe as evidence that the EU is under serving of the award, and according to Tillman, their arguments do have a point. The economic crises in Greek and Spain were caused in large part by EU policies, he said, and further attempts to repair their economies have created more issues.

“It’s fair to point out that the EU is a role in this,” Tillman said.

In 2009, President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, another choice that drew a lot of criticism. Many claimed that he hadn’t accomplished enough to deserve the award, and according to a Wall Street Journal article published after his nomination, critics said it was based on “unrealistic expectations that his presidency could change the face of international diplomacy.”

However, Tillman believes the EU’s nomination has more merit.

“It is kind of the second surprising choice in the law few years,” Tillman said. “With the EU, the timing is awkward, but at the same time, I think the EU has accomplishments it can point to justify this award.”

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