There are Prizes Whose Rewards are Unknown

The Nobel Prizes have always been prestigious, with a lot of influence, power, and money surrounding them. Saying "So-and-so is a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine and So-and-so in Chemistry" was referring to two highly valued people because that was truly what their wisdom or contribution to society or a field of action qualified them. And it was easy to verify because almost always behind each recognition, There was a work, a piece of research, an invention, a discovery that made us understand, or hope, that it was well-deserved.

However, some of these awards are quite subjective, and sometimes some of the audience isn't convinced. We don't find the supporting evidence to be substantial because we believe it's not enough, and the worst thing is when we consider it forced, as if with ulterior motives. Because the Nobel Prize is also propaganda and publicity, it helps make the subject even more visible. If not, look up how much sales of books by any Nobel Prize winner in Literature increased after its announcement.

It's logical. The awards validate, and the winners aren't known by everyone, so after the news is published, people become interested and seek them out, driven by curiosity and because we assume they're worthwhile.

Historically, one of the most controversial awards conferred by the Norwegian Nobel Committee is the Peace Prize. It's supposed to recognize the work of a person or institution for peaceful purposes, but it's suspicious that the United States is the country with the most personalities and organizations awarded in this category, given the vast and diverse world (and this is a topic for another post). However, I clearly remember when it was awarded to Barack Obama in 2009, presumably based solely on his campaign promises, as he had only recently taken office. We were then able to assess the behavior of international geopolitics under his influence, which proved contradictory to his initial speech, thus the awarding was hasty.

And not only in this area; in others, such as Literature with Bob Dylan, for example, debate has arisen due to a lack of understanding. The Nobel Prizes may be prestigious and have been awarded for over a century, but they have their flaws; they are not unrelated to politics, they touch on ethics, and, above all, they carry great weight in the historical context. In whose favor?

It's all profit. The Nobel Prize also means money. It won't be millions, but it's not four dollars either; it's a check with several numbers that fluctuate. However, the most important thing is the social recognition, carrying that little label forever, participating in events with such distinction as if it were a diamond crown, the public image of an almost saint that prevents even the most superficial from investigating and supporting causes.

This year's Peace Prize strikes me as not only a mockery but also very timely. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado received a significant boost for her political goals. In addition to the financial benefits, she also receives lifetime benefits that are very useful for her rhetoric because no one can take away that peaceful propaganda from her. However, we must pause and study her career objectively.

We must not only evaluate her measured, well-structured speech; we must also look at what she has actually done. What causes has she supported? Has it really been in the spirit of peace? She repeatedly called on the Venezuelan government for harmony, although her concept in this regard is resignation, the end of the socialist project. In reality, I never saw her sincerely calm her side so that, in the midst of riots, the physical and digital hostilities, the clashes as if the streets were battlefields, and the persecution of anything synonymous with Chavismo would cease. What's more, her idea to end the conflict included foreign military intervention and pressure from international bodies to squeeze Nicolás Maduro's administration, which is the same as the pressure on the people.

Is this being a peaceful person? A calm demeanor shouldn't be enough, and that's called double standards.

Now she will almost be the official and international voice of the Venezuelan opposition. She is certainly the first person from her country to receive this award, and now she will have global authority. This is an important weight. Every word she says will be taken into account; it will have great impact. And this seems anything but casual to me when the Bolivarian nation lives under constant siege and in plain sight.

The Nobel Peace Prize for María Corina Machado is a profound irony, a concession overloaded with political cynicism because her work is neither genuine nor humanitarian but aggressive and confrontational, an instrument of hybrid warfare against the project of Hugo Chávez and now Maduro. Therefore, the award, stripped of its true meaning, cannot be seen as anything other than a political weapon, aligned with Western interests, the same ones that propose measures and sanctions.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff