But they didn't award it to only Yasser Arafat, did they? They awarded it to Yasser Arafat AND Shimon Peres collectively for doing what no Israeli or Palestian leader had done up to that time - actually talk constructively instead of shooting the shit out of one another.

I think that this is perfect.

Honestly.

Take a look at Europe through history. When was a time when we weren't at each others throat? The EU changed that. It connected Europe politically, economically and culturally. Now France and Germany are in each others arms, and no longer at each others throat.

If the only thing the EU ever did was to stop that repeating circle of killing that Europe was under since the dawn of men, it was worth every single penny.
And it was before Arafat pulled the "asshole of the year" and sabotaged the peace process. At the time, he deserved it (collectively with Arafat and Clinton, imo). What happened in the late nineties wasn't up to the debate back then.

And you think that Shimon Peres is any better? The problem with the Middle East is that it's terrorists against war criminals. Just because you choose to award it to both sides, doesn't make it any less of a joke.

It's definitely true Europe's much better off now than it has ever been, but I really don't know if it's the EU that did it. I feel that after the war, everyone realised what a monumental waste of everything that was.

But yeah, I like the idea of EU. The execution, not so much. Giving it prizes for peace though, that's all kinds of ridiculous.

You mean like those people who chanted "no more war" in 1918? Yeah, that message really stuck ...
Actually, we were awarding both sides because for the first time in 50 years they started talking and stopped the killing. Which was a monumental feat.

Back in his early days? No. He was just as bad as Arafat was at that time and as Netanyahu and that bearded goit masquerading as the Palestinian president are right now.

Funnily enough, I believe Sharon and Arafat went through precisely the same procedure all over again. Sharon started out as a hard-ass and then softened up a bit over the years. Benefit of experience I suppose.

I'm with Simon on this, Europe had those sorts of wipe out 30% of the male population through stupid war, about every generation for a while there. I don't think anybody really thought that WWII would be enough to finally do it without people taking their heads out of their asses and doing something about it.

Since the folks that created the EU are pretty much no longer alive, this was the next best thing.

Well, I blame the Germans for that! No, wait.

Seriously, though, WW1, terrible as it was, didn't hit civilians nearly as hard as WW2 did. And everyone had to know that any potential WW3 would be much worse than that. I really think survival instinct kicked in by then, leading to the good old Cold War.

I simply think we in Europe finally grew up. The EU being a symptom of that, not the cause. But your interpretation is as good as mine, obviously.

Well, the most terrible and devastating war in German history was the thirty years war (and where was that started again, Mr. Czech guy ;-P) which nearly killed of a third of our population.

I wouldn't say that this starved of our lust for war...

The EU is a symptom if you will, but it is the "flag" if you will that represents the age of cooperation and dependence we live in.

Given that the EU economic logic is now strangling whole populations and imploding in nation-wide riots, I wonder if this prize is ironical, or prescriptive, or just a self-congratulation between the dominant countries that are so ready to sacrifice whole "undeserving" nations for their own comfort.

In each possible way, it is bitterly hilarious.

Touché.
For a while, it kind of did, didn't it? I'm a bit rusty on my 17th and 18th century (easily the most boring part of European history if you ask me), but I think the exhaustion from the conflict did show up there. But I'm talking out of my arse now.
Could be, could be. I just don't know why we should give it prizes. Particularly for a year in which it really didn't do anything special. I think by now everyone noticed what the European Union is and does, so the prize could hardly promote its ideals any further.

I think that this is the perfect time now. Currently the EU is pulling everything together to safe what is left of the dangling economies. People often fail to see the bigger picture. Especially the countries that are now in trouble had immense improvements in standard of living in the past 40 years. That the bill would come eventually was always known.

The EU made problems. And not to few. But what politician doesn't?

The biggest fault of the EU is that it doesn't have enough teeth, imo. Which is understandable, considering that the biggest players in the EU are those two countries that for the longest time saw Europe as their personal Risk map.

The EU is (or was until now) probably the biggest unsung hero in existence. People don't see the countless benefits it gave us. But you see one fault, everybody jumps on it.

And remember, legally the really isn't a EU so to say. But a compilation of different groups and unions. And all of those are honoured by this price.

Agreed. But aren't there any people behind this? Why not just simply awarding it to the people who started the EU, or brought the best EU ideas into it?

Giving the award for the whole institution (while many of the EU countries are fighing at least one war right now) is like saying there are no extraoridinary people here.
I second that. Let's see how EU will manage in times of recession and economical problems between the parties. Sharing smiles and trying to cooperate while everything is in prosperity isn't that hard.

The people who created it are all dead (afaik) and it can't be given to dead people.

And singling somebody out would have probably stood against the idea the union stands for.

Personally, I think Helmut Kohl and Francois Mitterand would made a good choice, as a symbol of German and France friendship. But Francois Mitterand is dead and it would leave out the other nations.