In 1973, U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese politburo member Le Duc Tho were jointly awarded the prize for negotiating the Vietnam War cease-fire agreement. The decision was controversial, in part because, as the New York Times noted, "the cease-fire accord that went into effect at the end of January has not yet led to a restoration of peace."

Indeed, fighting did not cease in Vietnam for another two years. Tho actually declined the prize, becoming the only recipient ever to do so, on the grounds that violence in Vietnam was ongoing at the time. Kissinger accepted the prize, but the Los Angeles Times reported that "hundreds of young demonstrators shouted anti-American slogans and waved pro-Viet Cong banners outside the University of Oslo" when a U.S. ambassador accepted the prize on his behalf.

One critic described the secretary of state as representing "about as naked and brutal an exercise of power as has occurred in human history" for his role in U.S.-led war that "destroyed so much of Southeast Asia." The prize was so controversial that two of the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee actually resigned in protest of the decision. But the intention of those committee members who supported the decision was clear from their statement, indicating that "It is our hope that all parties in this conflict will feel moral responsibility for lasting peace for the war-stricken peoples of Indochina." The prize wasn't meant to congratulate accomplished peace but to inspire it.

The Nobel Committee members again publically disagreed over the decision in 1978 to give the prize to Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin for their work on the Camp David peace accords. However, the committee was even more explicit about their intentions this time: "the Nobel Committee wishes not only to honor actions already performed in the service of peace, but also to encourage further efforts to work out practical solutions which can give reality to those hopes of a lasting peace, as they have been kindled by the framework agreements."

Further, the Washington Post noted that "Begin's contributions... are not specified, and his inclusion appears to be related more to the committee's hopes for the future than its evaluation of the Israeli prime minister's role up until now."

The controversy over a former leader of an anti-British terrorist organization (Begin) and a coup plotter and instigator of the 1973 war against Israel (Sadat) winning a prize for peace was matched in 1994, when the Nobel Peace Prize was given to PLO chairman Yasir Arafat, Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres, and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin for their involvement in the Oslo Accords.

In a Christian Science Monitor article that outlines Arafat's and Rabin's violent backgrounds, George Moffett notes that "historically, the Nobel committee has overlooked the past in favor of advancing more immediate objectives." The Committee, from which one member resigned in protest over the decision, made clear in their announcement of the 1994 prize that such was the case: "It is the Committee's hope that the award will serve as an encouragement to all the Israelis and Palestinians who are endeavoring to establish lasting peace in the region."


ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN AND PALESTINIAN LEADER YASSER ARAFAT
SEAL THE OSLO ACCORDS WITH A HANDSHAKE AT WHITE HOUSE
(© 1993 Getty Images, Inc.)

But lasting peace has remained elusive in the Middle East and elsewhere. In fact, the very actions that earned Sadat and Rabin their Nobel prizes also cost them their lives when they were each assassinated by individuals who thought they had made too many concessions. The extent to which peace can or should be furthered by the Nobel Prize remains an open question.

After Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 and two Nobel committee members resigned in protest, the Norwegian parliament held a debate to determine whether the principles and organization of the committee should be changed. One proposal suggested that the committee could include individuals from countries other than Norway, for example.

As a class, pretend you are a member of the Norwegian sorting (parliament). With a team of four other students, prepare a proposal that outlines what you think should be the Nobel Committee's composition and guiding goals:

• How should committee members be chosen and from what pool? How should nominations be gathered?
  
  
• What guidelines should assist members in making their final decision?
  
  
• Should a potential recipient's negative past be taken into consideration?
  
  
• Should the prize be used as an incentive for future action in addition to a recognition of past accomplishment?

Meet together as a class and have one person from each team present their group's proposal as convincingly as possible. After all the proposals have been given, open the floor to questions, comments, and objections.

Be prepared to make compromises until the majority of the class—through a vote—can agree on the guidelines that should govern the committee.

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