American Presidents & the Nobel Peace Prize
Last week’s historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in yielded what appears to be significant progress in the Korean Peninsula’s peace process. North Korea declared its intention to denuclearize, formally end the Korean War, and have President Moon Jae-in visit the country this fall to continue negotiations.
In light of these developments, 18 Republican members of Congress penned a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee recommending that President Trump be considered as next year’s Peace Prize winner. The letter highlighted the president’s commitment to bringing peace to the region and success with sanctioning North Korea, which has included “target[ing] North Korean and Chinese trading companies, North Korean ships, and North Korea’s ministry of oil.”
The Nobel Peace Prize is among the world’s most prestigious awards, one to which U.S. presidents have long been connected. Its recipient is intended to be “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations.” Here are five facts you need to know about the prize itself and President Trump’s nomination.
1. The Republican group pushing for President Trump’s nomination was led by Indiana Rep. Luke Messer. Other signatories include Reps. Ralph Norman (SC), Michael Burgess (TX), Scott DesJarias (TN), Kevin Cramer (ND), Mark Meadows (NC), Matt Gaetz (FL), Doug LaMalfa (CA), David McKinley (WV), Brian Babin (TX), Diane Black (TN), Steve King (IA), Pete Olson (TX), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Jim Renacci (OH), Evan Jenkins (WV), Drew Ferguson (GA), and Del. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa.
2. To date, four U.S. presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Theodore Roosevelt won the award in 1906 for helping to end the Russo-Japanese War. Woodrow Wilson won the award in 1920 for helping to end World War I and help establish the League of Nations. Jimmy Carter won the award in 2002 for helping to find “peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advancing democracy and human rights, and promoting economic and social development.” Barack Obama won the award in 2009 for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” (Al Gore also won the award in 2007 for his work to combat climate change.)
3. To win a Nobel Peace Prize, you must go through a nomination process. According to the Prize’s website, a nomination may be submitted by any person who meets the nomination criteria, which includes national governments, university professors, past recipients, and current and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
4. The list of nominees is kept tightly under wraps by the Nobel Committee. However, many people who nominate candidates announce their recommendations to the media, especially for the peace prize. The names of nominees are not released by the Nobel Committee until 50 years after the award has been given.
5. Even though many, including Moon Jae-in, have lauded President Trump for moving the peace process forward, Kim Jong-un doesn’t believe he deserves the credit. On Sunday, North Korea’s official news agency quoted a government official saying that President Trump should not be solely credited with bringing the country to the negotiating table, and doing so risks ruining these newly sown seeds of peace.
No Labels is an organization of Democrats, Republicans, and independents working to bring American leaders together to solve problems.
