The Nobel Peace Prize's Most Famous Omission

by Rhonda J Mangus | October 10, 2009 at 03:12 pm

743 views | 48 Recommendations | 24 comments

According to an article in Foreign Policy Magazine Premature Nobelization? 7 People Who Should Have Won, But Didn't, topping The Nobel Peace Prize's most famous ommission was Mahatma Gandhi, a pacifist and political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. Gandhi was the pioneer of Satyagraha, resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, founded upon Ahimsa or total non-violence.

Gandhi, the magazine noted "was the spiritual and political leader of the Indian independence movement and an advocate of non-violent resistance as a means to effect social change".

"History's most famous pacifist is probably the peace prize's most famous omission, and the Nobel Foundation has even a web page explaining its side of the story," it noted.

"Gandhi made the Nobel short list three times: in 1937, 1947, and then posthumously in 1948. In 1937, the committee's advisor criticised Gandhi's dual role as a peace activist and political leader of an independence movement, writing that 'he is frequently a Christ, but then, suddenly, an ordinary politician'."

As India and Pakistan achieved independence in 1947, Gandhi's crowning triumph was tempered by the violence and dislocation that resulted.

"With tensions growing in the summer of 1947, the Nobel committee hesitated to award the peace prize to someone so closely identified with one of the combatants," the magazine said.

The committee also seems to have been affected by regional and racial biases; most of the prior awards had been given to white European men, it said.

Although the committee considered awarding Gandhi the prize in 1948, following his assassination, Alfred Nobel's will clearly required that the award be given to a living person.

However, the decision to not dispense any award that year because "there was no suitable living candidate" appears to be an implicit admission that the committee missed its opportunity to recognise Gandhi's accomplishments, Foreign Policy said.

Foreign Policy Magazine listed Eleanor Roosevelt, Vaclav Havel, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Sari Nusseibeh, Corazon Aquino and Liu Xiaobo as the other six deserving but deprived ones.

Additional reading at the Nobel Foundation, Nobelprize.org: Mahatma Gandhi, the Missing Laureate

Related NowPublic coverage The Nobel Peace Prize

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Roy C

at 18:05 on October 10th, 2009

Good story.

Now, if we could see the notes on the meetings when these people were rejected, that would be interesting.

What sort of person aspires to be on the Nobel Prize committee of selection? Who are these people? There must be some public record of this.

Maybe we need to do some "ambush interviews" 60 Minutes style?

Rhonda J Mangus

at 18:55 on October 10th, 2009

Thank you, Roy! I doubt that we will ever see any notes on the meetings, however, here is a link to the 'Committee Members'. You can also view staff members, who allegedly have no nominating powers,by clicking on the Nobel Institute link and find one Geir Lundestad, a former research fellow at Harvard University. I have not yet researched the backgrounds of the 'Committee Members' or remaining 6 staff members.

Maybe:)!

lalith

at 18:18 on October 10th, 2009

I think Mahathma Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Prize 5 times. Later, in 1989, the committee tried to justify by stating that the award to 14th Dalai Lama was part in recognition of Mahathma Gandhi. New twist to an omission?

Yasser Arafat was good enough for the Nobel Peace Prize committee.huh!

Rhonda J Mangus

at 19:04 on October 10th, 2009

Yes lalith, Gandhi was nominated five times and later the committee made mention of him in its award to the Dalai Lama -- new twist to an omission - maybe:). Thank you for reading, commenting, and for the recommendation!

blvdman

at 19:15 on October 10th, 2009

According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize should be awarded "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."[1] Alfred Nobel's will stated that the prize should be awarded by a committee of five people elected by the Norwegian Parliament.

Nobel died in 1896 and did not leave an explanation for choosing peace as a prize category. The categories for chemistry and physics were obvious choices as he was a trained chemical engineer. The reason behind the peace prize is less clear. According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, there's significant evidence his friendship with Bertha von Suttner, a peace activist and the first winner of the prize, may have profoundly influenced his decision to include peace as a category.[2] Scholars who studied Nobel have said it was Nobel's way to compensate for developing destructive forces (Nobel's inventions included dynamite and ballistite).Wikipedia

Rhonda J Mangus

at 19:30 on October 10th, 2009

Thank you for reading and providing additional information, blvdman.

Babel-Fish

at 19:25 on October 10th, 2009

According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize should be awarded "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."[1] Alfred Nobel's will stated that the prize should be awarded by a committee of five people elected by the Norwegian Parliament.

Well now that explains why Obama was awarded the prize.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 19:29 on October 10th, 2009

"Well now that explains why Obama was awarded the prize." It does???

Rhonda J Mangus

at 20:08 on October 10th, 2009

sara, no question is a dumb question, believe me:)! The only thing I can tell you is that they are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament -- and my experience of (political) appointments is that they smack of politics:)!

PS Evidently, Nobel determined that the number of the committee to be 5 -- I don't know why.

blvdman

at 20:04 on October 10th, 2009

Nobel awarded the first prize to his friend..After all it was his money

and you welcome

djermano

at 06:34 on October 11th, 2009

Thanks Mangus..goes to prove the Nobel Prize is a farce award....anyone to accept it in knowing Gandhi never got it...is a farce as well.

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/nobel-peace-awardees-promise-end-war-afganiraq...

As far as I am concerned Obama is only picking up where Bush left off.. Obama is a War President and a War Criminal... No doubt about it.

Rev. Jermano

Rhonda J Mangus

at 17:20 on October 11th, 2009

You are very welcome, Rev. Thank you for the link, and for reading, commenting, and for the recommendation!

politisite

at 07:59 on October 11th, 2009

Thanks for this story

Rhonda J Mangus

at 17:20 on October 11th, 2009

You are very welcome, politisite! Thank you!

Barnes& (not verified)

at 19:19 on October 11th, 2009

Why Many Indians Hate Mahatma Gandhi the Father of India and Considered Him as Fraud ? i had many indians in my life,they dont like gandhi at all,even my uncle,few months ago i meet a business man,he had the same views. sikh writer kushwant singh in his novel ,also give a critical account of gandhiji and say when he do fast,they were fake and he eat all the things at the back i respect mahatam gandhi but what was the need to give 60 crore ruppes to pakistan at the time of independence,does he was idiot they were killing innocent indians,and gandhi was doing fake fasts to give pakistaan 60 crore ruppes,what was need of that. He was not only instrumental in Partition 1947 but also was responsible for loss of human lives. He also financed Pakistan and Rs 60 crore given to pakistan was utilised by their Army to kill hindus

israeli.agent

at 20:40 on October 11th, 2009

That is human nature. No one can 100 % agree with another one's actions. We are bound to dislike some thing the others do. Maybe Gandhi would not have visualized what it will be like when he forced the then government to give money. But again that money is supposed to go to Pakistan - So his act was right.

.Agent.

Nauman Umair Khan

at 08:44 on October 12th, 2009

Gandhi has always been an inspiration to me... no doubt, he WAS a person of great caliber... he respected Jinnah and so did Jinnah... but the problem is with the followers... and the problem has always been with the followers, followers in the sense that those who succeed... Gandhi and Jinnah met almost the same fate... and here is their mutual legacy... Pakistan and India... =( the thing is... what about the real legacy... I won't comment any further about Jinnah b/c he isn't relevant to this article... as per Gandhi, well, his legacy of non-violence lived... even empires like the US saw it in the form of Rev. MLK... Hart skipped him from the 100 list somehow... and his nobility never met nobly by the so-called noble body of Nobel prize... but his legacy will continue... and so will the inspiration... and as per his being a disputed persona, well, tell me one single great person who never got into this dispute-trap... it's the ultimate fate of every great person... and, according to me, it's a must thing for a great person to have critics... b/c the output of criticism is mostly positive since people with the moron thing called scrutiny will always move ahead to scrutinize when they see someone in dispute...

"All the religions of the world, while they may differ in other respects, unitedly proclaim that nothing lives in this world but Truth." - Mohandas Gandhi

Rhonda J Mangus

at 10:41 on October 12th, 2009

Nauman Umair Khan, thank you for reading, commenting, and for the recommendation!

"All the religions of the world, while they may differ in other respects, unitedly proclaim that nothing lives in this world but Truth." - Mohandas Gandhi

To this, let me add: "All religions must (should) be a path to goodness.":)

Thanks again!

Nauman Umair Khan

at 23:16 on October 12th, 2009

My pleasure, Rhonda.

"All religions must (should) be a path to goodness."

I AGREE, no doubt with that...

blvdman

at 13:41 on October 12th, 2009

what is the red check mark

israeli.agent

at 23:19 on October 12th, 2009

It says that someone recommended the comment. If you look when US and Canada sleeps, the awaken part of the world only get to see the "most recommended comment" in the front page.

.Agent.