Congratulations to former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, the latest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which administers the Peace Prize-the Swedes give out the other prizes-Ahtisarri beat out 196 other nominees for his "important efforts, on several..
Congratulations to former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, the latest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which administers the Peace Prize-the Swedes give out the other prizes-Ahtisarri beat out 196 other nominees for his "important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts." Those efforts include: freeing Namibia from the grips of South Africa. (The country gained its sovereignty in 1990.)Up until Ahtisaari's official elevation to Nobel laureate, rampant speculation surrounded jailed Chinese activist Hu Jia as the favorite to win the prize. The Chinese activist-a vocal critic of the Communist government on issues related to policy, the environment, and AIDS- was rounded up in December 2007 for his dissent. The London-based Telegraph newspaper accused the Committee for playing it safe with its selection of Ahtisaari: "In a year that has seen international attention focused on China because of the Olympic Games, the Nobel Committee could have used its role as the world's conscience to remind everyone of Beijing's miserable human rights record."Another person passed over by the Committee, the Telegraph piece points out, was Russian human rights lawyer Lidia Yusupova, who is known as "the bravest woman in Europe."Do you think the Committee took the easy way out?
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