Recently, when asked, I have been making the point that:
Myanmar deserves to be at peace with itself. President Thein is in charge. I guess there is a Nobel Peace Prize waiting for whoever manages to finally end Burma’s tragic history of civil war. The real question at this stage should be: is President Thein Sein up to the task? Millions of Myanmar citizens certainly hope so.
This analytical thrust has got a bit more attention now that The Myanmar Times is running it so prominently. You can read their article here.
Before anyone asks, for the moment, at least, I don’t actually think President Thein Sein is in the running for a Nobel Prize. But I can foresee cicumstances where that changes quite quickly, especially if a “grand negotiation” of the type discussed at the end of The Myanmar Times article was to succeed. I could imagine a joint Nobel Peace Prize for any political leaders who can bring lasting peace to Burma. And that might include U Thein Sein.
For now, we should be asking: What would such lasting peace look like? Who will take charge? And who else needs to be involved?
Aung San Suu Kyi is currently the only laureate from ASEAN. If the second ASEAN laureate goes to Burma again, other members of ASEAN may be unhappy about it…
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Last time Khin Nyunt makes peace , this thing happens.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/3568
Now this can and will be spread around the whole country.
Those days, National Geographic wrote that in a short ten years the places where there was a worry about wild elephant attacks had changed to worry about being run over by the bulldozers.
Funny how the word peace is always associated with bulldozers. Who would have thought that, yet always true. GDP will go up alright along with an ancient civilization. Peace…..
In this world of infantilism, it is understandable Nobel Prize should be given equally to all just like every single girl in a kindergarten is special princess.
But fear not. There may yet be people in Burma who still hold onto principles. And may not catch that widespread highly infectious 180 bug.
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To answer your question, certainly not. Thein sein has committed murderous attacks against the people in the past. He now claims to be a person of change whilst his army still wages war against the Karen. He cries poverty for Burma whilst he and his cohorts are making so much money with corrupt practices. His new policies, which the capitalists like, is for vast investments into the country. Already Thailand and others are investing in Burma to make vast amounts of profits whilst the population is dispossessed of land. The Nobel peace prize has already been downgraded by the award been given to the war mongers of the USA, namely Obama. Any further degridation of the award would render it meaningless with the people of the world.
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Barack Obama … the predator drone, the Assassin in Chief, the world-wide aggressor … is a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
If I were Thein Sein and the offer were made to join that company I would certainly decline.
The Nobel Peace Prize is a contrived bit of political Black Humor.
Obama’s victims – many of them children – in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, Syria and Iran are certainly not laughing.
I guess you have to be Norwegian to get the joke.
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Thank you #3 and #4.
Sometimes it is lonely among the sycophants.
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Thanks for these comments:
Sure, there are plenty who have been awarded the Peace Prize who come in for critical attention. This list is a place to start. Henry Kissinger always get a mention, but so do a range of other names. My reading of the official Nobel Prize list is that, especially over recent decades, “redemption” is often a key element of the Laureate’s story.
Best wishes to all,
Nich
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He’d have to do something rather extreme to get a Nobel Peace Prize.
Consider – 101 people have been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.
How many times has it ever been given to anyone who opposed the United States politically? Once? Maybe twice? And Thein Sein isn’t exactly an enemy of the United States, but he’s no friend, either. Burma will have to become yet another western puppet state before they award the Nobel Peace Prize to any Burmese person who isn’t named Aung San Suu Kyi.
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Best not to tempt fate. The Commission allegedly awarded Obama as an incentive but managed to make a fool of itself. They have form as Nich pointed out the example of Kissinger, a true blue peacenik. With Thein Sein they’d fall flat on their face and it would serve them right. Anyhow ASSK already pipped the post in this particular arena by a long shot, and TS knows it.
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