Donald Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize – with one caveat

He wants him. He really, really wants him. He has made that clear in recent weeks. And now, in view of the first realistic signs of a possible peace move, he should really be sure of it. Believe Donald Trump.

It’s worth taking a step back and looking at the history of this prize, which came about because one man, Alfred Nobel, didn’t just want to leave the world with dynamite and its terrible effects. But also a little bit of peace. Or, if there wasn’t enough of that, at least an award for those who try to make peace in a world full of wars.

There are all four US presidents who received the Nobel Peace Prize.

1906: Theodore Roosevelt for brokering the peace treaty between Russia and Japan in 1905. However, Roosevelt was also known for his imperialist, aggressive foreign policy.

1919: Woodrow Wilson for his initiatives to end the First World War and initiate the founding of the League of Nations. But then the USA didn’t join. And of course, Woodrow Wilson was also the Supreme Commander of the US Army, which was a belligerent during World War I.

2002: Jimmy Carter for his decades of commitment to conflict resolution, democracy and human rights. Jimmy Carter, as US President, did not end a single war through negotiations. But he didn’t start or lead a single one – which is worth mentioning because it unfortunately remains so exceptional. And he was the broker of the 1978 Camp David Accords, which led to a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. And that didn’t end a direct war – but laid the foundation for a possible peace in the Middle East.

2009: Barack Obama for his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy. He received this award at the beginning of his two terms in office – which were then characterized by the fact that he targeted several countries with drones in order to kill alleged terrorists who were never brought to justice.

So Donald Trump wouldn’t be that unusual in this series.

And if his points plan brings all the hostages home and leads to a ceasefire, that’s pretty much peace for an award winner in this series.

Then there are the prizes that were awarded for peace efforts in the Middle East – specifically six to seven people and one organization (UN peacekeepers). Among these people is the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Yasser Arafat, who received the award along with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin. And who was linked to terrorist actions around the world for many years.

On the Israeli side, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin was also honored for concluding the Camp David Accords. He used to be the leader of a militant Israeli group and was therefore the opposite of a peacemaker.

In any case, all the efforts of all those honored have not led to a resilient peace – evident to this day. And some approaches have been implemented even less than the plan that Trump has now pushed through despite resistance from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Hamas.

Then, thirdly, there is another statistic that you can look at: the years in which the prize was not awarded at all. There were six breaks, some of them lasting several years during the First and Second World Wars and in 1923 and 1924, when the committee “failed to find suitable candidates.” And again in 1966 and 1967, when the Vietnam War was becoming more and more widespread and there was simply no place in the world for peace.

The question that actually needs to be answered is not whether Donald Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

But whether we live in times in which a Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded at all.

And given the wars in all parts of the world and the escalations that continue every day, that answer should be: no.