Putting Nobel Peace Prize to shame, again: China Daily editorial

The nomination of Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize is apparently not a joke. But it is ironic that the warmongering head of the world's largest military alliance is being hailed as an advocate for world peace.

"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg should be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize, due to his conduct during the conflict in Ukraine." That is what Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a Norwegian lawmaker, said. He also said that Stoltenberg "deserves the prize for his outstanding work as NATO's secretary-general in a demanding time for the alliance."

Is the Nobel Peace Prize just for NATO personnel or people from Western countries? This once-renowned prize, at least the one for peace, has simply become a tool in the geopolitical games of the West. The nomination of the NATO chief for the prize will only do further damage to the reputation of this award.

NATO was a product of the Cold War, and it has been a military alliance. It should have been disbanded after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, which marked the end of the Cold War. Given the nature of this alliance and its rapacious desire for expansion, it is an affront to the Nobel Peace Prize to nominate its hawkish chief as a worthy recipient.

Look at what NATO has done since the end of the Cold War. It has been involved in most of the military conflicts since then. It was deeply involved in the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. It launched the Kosovo War in 1999, in which the United States even bombed the Chinese embassy there.

The military conflict between Russia and Ukraine would not have taken place without NATO's relentless eastward expansion, which Russia believes poses a threat to its national security. Instead of doing whatever it can to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, NATO has added fuel to the fire by supplying Ukraine with weapons.

NATO is also trying to advance into the Asia-Pacific region. And not just once its leader has described China as a challenge and falsely portrayed the country as a threat. It is quite likely that NATO will do more to follow Washington in its strategy to contain the rise of China. There is no denying that NATO is one of the major sources of global instability rather than a force for world peace.

Nominating the NATO head as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize speaks volumes about how some politicians are so ideologically entrenched that they turn a blind eye to the reality of what is happening in the world. It also raises the question: Since it has become a politicized tool of the West is there any reason for the Nobel Peace Prize to exist any longer?