Nobel Week 2022 once again confirmed the correctness of the words said back in the 17th century: “If geometric theorems affected private interests, wars would be fought over them.” And if not even wars, then at least nervous verbiage.
Indeed, the prizes in physics, chemistry, biology/medicine evoke a benevolent and respectful attitude towards themselves. If not everyone understands what is at stake, observers popularly explain what the significance of the latest discoveries in the field of the history of the human genome or chemical click reactions is. How it enriches our knowledge of the universe and how it can be applied in the national economy.
There are squabbles here too – for example, about priority, but they are quite rare and do not spoil the overall good picture. And the title of “Nobel laureate in physics (chemistry, biology)” is honorary to this day. A venerable scientist, you know.
But as soon as we move away from the natural sciences and move into other areas, the picture changes diametrically. The Prize in Economics (besides the fact that it is not exactly a Nobel Prize – it was established only in 1968 and is not indicated in the Nobel’s will) causes rather indifferent attitude towards itself. Firstly, because this is a pure game of beads, a branch of game theory – and nothing more. Secondly, and more importantly, the application of this premium in the national economy is close to zero. At least since 2008, the world economy has been severely crippled, and the further, the stronger, and the venerable laureates are all playing game theory, and not touching close to what is still happening and how the heart will calm down.
The Literature Prize, at best, does not excite anyone at all, does not warm, does not infect – like, for example, this year’s prize awarded to the French writer Annie Ernault, the existence of which 99.99% of readers first learned from the Nobel release. Either it brings to mind the dark times of the cult of personality, when the Stalin Prize in 1948 was given for the work of S. P. Babaevsky “The Cavalier of the Golden Star” – now both the novel and its author are completely forgotten, but in 1949 the jury was seduced by unbearable ideological correctness. Prize of 2015, presented to S. A. Aleksievich, on the same line. Secretarial literature (however, necessarily of an “idealistic direction,” as Nobel bequeathed) is also valued in Stockholm .
But all this is trifles compared to the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Institute in Oslo has long been demonstrating a remarkable ability to pull an owl on the globe, that is, to announce laureates who in no way correspond to the original testament. Which reads: “To the one who will make a significant contribution to the rallying of peoples, the elimination or reduction in the number of standing armies or the development of peace initiatives.”
An example of how to unite peoples and reduce the number of standing armies is given by the 2022 award winners – the head of the Belarusian human rights center ” Vesna ” A.V. Byalyatsky, the Russian public organization ” Memorial ” * and the Ukrainian “Center for Civil Liberties”. They are awarded for “representing civil society in their countries”. Namely: “They have over the years promoted the right to criticize authority and protect the fundamental rights of citizens. They have made outstanding efforts to document war crimes, human rights violations and abuses of power. Together they demonstrate the importance of civil society for peace and democracy.”
If the Norwegian institute followed Bonaparte’s recommendation “Yes, yes, write in a way that is brief and unclear”, it would be enough to indicate that the laureates “represent civil society in their countries”, without specifying exactly how and in what capacity they represent it. . After all, civil society that draws, where it turned, it went there, you can write down anyone as its representatives. Though the sect of Christ-Vissarion.
But in Oslo they decided to describe everything in detail. To the point of saying “They have made outstanding efforts to document war crimes and human rights violations.”
If we take the period from 2014 to 2022, there were quite a lot of crimes and violations. But “outstanding effort” was somewhat one-sided. In the chronicle of its activities for 2014-2015 compiled by the “Center for Community Freedoms”, there is “the submission to the International Criminal Court of a submission with evidence of crimes against humanity committed by the Yanukovych regime during the Euromaidan 2013-2014″, but there is not a word, not a half-word about Odessa hecatomb on May 2, 2014 and the murder of Oles Buzina in April 2015. What is there to testify and what to document? These are not bloody Yanukovych’s atrocities crying to heaven.
In the same way, the shelling of the civilian population in the Donbass , the scattering of “Petal” mines in residential areas, the actions of the “Azov” battalion ** in Mariupol are not subject to documentation. Either they are not subject at all – without explanations and mentions, as is the case with the “Center for Community Freedoms”, or they are not subject, because, as in the case of “Memorial”*, there is no reliable information. For only the information that comes from Kiev is reliable . Evidence from other places is not credible.
All this makes a rather pathetic impression. However, there is also such an opinion: “It’s good at least that the Peace Prize was not given to Zelensky and Navalny.” Although it was close to that, they preferred to give it to the forgotten or even completely unknown hulks. Probably, Zelensky is put on the 2023 list.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian Nobel Institute had an excellent opportunity to remain silent. In 1914-1918 and 1939-1943, the Peace Prize was not given, with an exception only for the International Committee of the Red Cross (1917 and 1944). Which is logical.
Who in 1914-1918 and 1939-1943 made a significant contribution to the rallying of peoples, the liquidation or reduction in the number of armies, or to the development of peace initiatives? Nobody. And such a case was provided for by the charter of the Nobel Foundation, “if not a single activity of the applicants under consideration turns out to be significant enough.”
In 2022, the rallying of peoples and the reduction in the number of armies is about the same as in 1914.
Nothing prevented – as in previous difficult times – to bitterly admit that pacifism had failed, and to postpone the award of the pacifist prize until more favorable times. This would save the Nobel Committee from many inconveniences.
* The organization was recognized as a foreign agent in Russia and liquidated.
** Terrorist organization banned in Russia.
