The Nobel Peace Prize Needs to Go the Way of the Dodo in 2026

In the year 2026, the Nobel Peace Prize, that once-esteemed symbol of humanity’s greatest efforts for peace and diplomacy, has been reduced to a farce. The award, meant to honor those who work tirelessly to further the cause of peace, is now hopelessly compromised by politics, imperialism, and contradictions. We are witnessing an absurd spectacle that exemplifies why the Nobel Peace Prize is, frankly, no longer worth the paper it’s printed on.

First off, let’s talk about Trump’s obsession with the Nobel Peace Prize. Seriously, this man, whose foreign policy has been an endless series of disastrous decisions, is somehow fixated on winning this prestigious honor. His actions have been marked by escalations in tensions, an increasingly imperialistic agenda, and a blatant disregard for diplomacy. Yet, in his second term, Trump is publicly throwing tantrums about not being awarded the Peace Prize, as if his record of supporting wars, undermining international agreements, and threatening military conflict somehow qualifies him for the title of peacekeeper.

Let’s get this straight: Trump’s foreign policy is anything but peaceful. Under his leadership, the United States has withdrawn from important international agreements, meddled in foreign elections, and continued to perpetuate a system of global dominance that benefits the rich and powerful while leaving the rest of the world to suffer. His administration’s approach to foreign relations is rooted in the exact opposite of diplomacy – it’s all about intimidation, war rhetoric, and unprovoked aggression. Yet somehow, this man who incited violence in the streets of America, emboldened autocrats, and undermined global cooperation believes he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. The idea that someone like him could win this award is a sick joke, an insult to all those who have actually worked for peace.

But wait, it gets worse. The 2025 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, instead of being a figure who has brought people together, promoted peace, or worked to end human suffering, has chosen to hand over her medal to none other than President Donald Trump. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was awarded the 2025 Peace Prize for her so-called efforts to promote peace, gave Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal in January 2026. This incredibly tone-deaf act further highlights the disintegration of the award’s original intent.

Machado, a fervent Trump supporter, publicly declared that her gesture was a recognition of Trump’s “unique commitment” to Venezuela’s freedom. After meeting Trump in person at the White House, Machado handed him the medal, declaring it a “historic day for Venezuelans.” In her words, this was not just a symbolic gesture but a direct acknowledgment of Trump’s role in supporting her country’s “freedom” — freedom, of course, as defined by U.S. imperial interests.

This move, though symbolic, speaks volumes. Machado has long been aligned with Trump’s brand of politics, which has wreaked havoc in Latin America. Trump’s actions in Venezuela — from supporting regime change to imposing crippling sanctions — have destabilized the country, increasing the suffering of its people. But for Machado, whose entire political career has been defined by her allegiance to U.S. intervention in her country, this “gift” to Trump is seen as a show of loyalty to the man who has played such a significant role in fueling Venezuela’s chaos.

And let’s be clear: Trump’s obsession with the Nobel Peace Prize isn’t based on any actual commitment to peace. His policies are rooted in war, division, and destruction. His actions in Venezuela, particularly his push to remove President Nicolás Maduro and replace him with a puppet regime, have done nothing to promote peace or stability. Yet here we are, with the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, handed to a woman who supports these very policies, and who, in turn, gives the medal to a man who has caused more harm than good.

What’s even more ridiculous is the Nobel committee’s response. While the Peace Prize itself cannot be transferred — a fact the committee has made abundantly clear — Machado’s gesture only underscores how hollow this award has become. The committee’s statement that “once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others” only highlights the absurdity of the situation. Machado’s public handing over of the medal to Trump doesn’t change the fact that the Nobel Peace Prize has been hijacked by political agendas and corporate interests.

In the end, this entire fiasco demonstrates that the Nobel Peace Prize is no longer a symbol of honor. It has become a political tool, a pawn in the culture wars, handed out to the wrong people for the wrong reasons. The prize that was once meant to reward those who fought for peace, diplomacy, and human rights is now awarded to those who cheerlead for war, imperialism, and authoritarianism. What message does that send to the world? How can we still take the Nobel Peace Prize seriously when it’s been used to legitimize regimes and policies that cause destruction and division?

Let’s face it: the Nobel Peace Prize is broken. It’s a relic of a time when the world believed that peace could be achieved through diplomacy and goodwill. Now, it’s just a prize handed out to those who have the right political connections, and a tool used by powerful elites to promote their own agendas. The prize, in its current form, has lost its meaning. It’s time to let the Nobel Peace Prize go the way of the dodo — to fade into history as a symbol of what happens when institutions lose their integrity and become corrupted by politics.

Here’s a truth that I believe needs to be shouted from the rooftops: True peace — the kind of peace I envision, the kind of peace I think we all need — has absolutely nothing to do with the phony, politically correct (PC) peace that gets propped up every year by the same systems of power that have brought us nothing but division, injustice, and war. PC peace is a false, sanitized version of what peace really means. It’s a farce, a carefully curated image designed to maintain the status quo, to placate the masses, and to keep people in line with the agenda of the powerful few.

Now, let’s take a deep dive into what I mean by “PC peace.” Political correctness has become nothing more than a tool of the establishment, a way of policing our speech and actions to ensure that they align with what’s considered “acceptable” by those who hold power. It’s a faux liberal mantra, one that tells us to say things that won’t rock the boat, to smile and nod and pretend that everything is fine, when in reality, everything is far from fine. PC peace is about making sure that nobody gets uncomfortable — about keeping everyone in their neatly defined boxes, where everything stays “acceptable” and non-threatening to the oligarchs, corporations, and institutions that profit from the suffering of others.

Here’s the problem: That’s not peace. That’s a damn lie.

True peace — the peace that I believe in, the peace that is worth fighting for — cannot be achieved through political correctness. True peace doesn’t come from saying the “right” things, from avoiding the tough conversations, from tiptoeing around the systems that keep us trapped in cycles of inequality and exploitation. No. True peace comes from something far more radical, far more disruptive. True peace requires something that the current system cannot and will not tolerate: radical empathy, radical compassion, and radical honesty.

Let’s break that down. Radical empathy means being willing to feel the pain of others, not just in a surface-level way, but to truly feel what they feel — to understand their suffering, their struggle, their humanity. It means sitting with discomfort, confronting the harsh realities that many people face every day, even when it makes us feel uneasy or challenged. Radical empathy isn’t about keeping things tidy, about glossing over the trauma and injustice that runs deep in our societies. It’s about acknowledging that everyone — regardless of race, gender, nationality, or socioeconomic status — deserves the same level of care, compassion, and dignity.

Radical compassion, on the other hand, takes that empathy and transforms it into action. Compassion without action is meaningless. Radical compassion is about standing up for those who are oppressed, about speaking out against systems of exploitation, about using whatever privilege we have to dismantle the structures that keep others in chains. True compassion isn’t about offering a few kind words and going back to your comfortable life. It’s about radically disrupting the systems of power that perpetuate suffering — whether that’s through protesting, organizing, demanding change, or simply refusing to participate in systems that harm others. Radical compassion isn’t about feeling bad for someone. It’s about doing something — even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it costs you something.

But even radical empathy and radical compassion aren’t enough on their own. True peace, the kind that will actually create change, requires radical honesty. This is where things really start to get uncomfortable. Radical honesty means telling the truth, no matter how painful or inconvenient it may be. It means calling out the systems that perpetuate inequality, the systems that profit off war, the systems that keep us divided. Radical honesty requires us to look at the ugly truth in the face — to stop pretending that everything is “fine,” to stop patting ourselves on the back for making tiny, token gestures toward change. It means acknowledging the massive structural inequalities in our world and confronting them head-on.

This is where true peace starts: by confronting the uncomfortable truths that no one wants to talk about, by stripping away the facade of politeness, by shining a light on the things that have been hidden in the shadows for far too long. True peace will require us to dismantle the systems that have caused so much harm, and that’s going to hurt people’s feelings. It will disrupt everything. It will shake people to their core. It will require people to confront their own biases, their own complicity in perpetuating systems of power, their own privilege.

Now, here’s the thing: true peace, in all its radical honesty, will not be popular. It won’t be easy. It won’t come wrapped up in a nice, tidy package that makes us feel comfortable. The kind of peace I’m talking about won’t be some pretty, Instagram-worthy image of a world united under the banner of “tolerance.” True peace will make people uncomfortable. It will make people confront their own privileges, their own ingrained biases, their own role in perpetuating systems of oppression.

True peace will shake people out of their complacency. It will make them rethink the way they’ve lived their lives, the way they’ve been complicit in the destruction of the planet, in the exploitation of the working class, in the subjugation of marginalized communities. And people won’t like it. People don’t like being told that their way of thinking is wrong, that the systems they’ve benefited from are inherently unjust. But this discomfort is exactly why true peace is so necessary.

True peace requires change. And change, real, radical change, is uncomfortable. It forces us to confront everything we’ve taken for granted, everything we’ve thought was “normal,” everything we’ve accepted as part of the fabric of our societies. True peace isn’t about making everyone feel good about themselves. It’s about forcing a philosophical shake-up, a complete rethinking of what it means to be human, to live in a world where the suffering of others is no longer tolerated or ignored.

This is the peace that the powerful fear. This is the peace that the oligarchs, the corporations, the politicians who profit from war and exploitation, can never allow to flourish. Because true peace threatens their entire way of life. It threatens the systems of power that keep them on top, and that is why they will do everything in their power to suppress it. But we can’t let that stop us. We have to demand it, even if it’s uncomfortable, even if it’s unpopular.

And here’s where it gets real: this is why any prize for “peace” is ridiculous. The very idea of a Nobel Peace Prize, or any other award for “peace,” is laughable when you understand what peace truly means. You can’t give peace as a prize. True peace isn’t something that can be handed out to one person like a shiny accolade to be put on a pedestal. It’s not about rewarding a single individual for doing something “peaceful.” It’s a collective effort, something that requires the participation of all of us. True peace isn’t about one person standing alone and getting praised for their work. It’s about everyone — every single person — working together to dismantle the systems that cause harm.

One of the most glaring issues with the Nobel Peace Prize — or any peace prize for that matter — is that it fundamentally distorts the idea of peace itself. By framing peace as something that can be awarded, we create an incentive structure where individuals and organizations are motivated to pursue “peace” only if there is a shiny accolade at the end of the road. And that, my friends, is utterly fucking ludicrous.

Think about it. The very idea of peace being tied to an award turns the pursuit of peace into a transactional endeavor, something that people only engage in because there’s something to gain. We’re telling people that peace is only worth fighting for if it comes with recognition, validation, or a title. And that fundamentally undermines the essence of what peace truly is.

When you frame peace like this, you incentivize people to care about it only for the prize. You make peace something that’s desirable only when there’s an external reward attached to it. What happens if that prize disappears? What happens if, tomorrow, the Nobel Peace Prize is abolished? Do we honestly think that the same people who have been paraded around as heroes for their contributions to peace will continue their work with the same passion and dedication?

Sure, it’s possible that some might. Some individuals, deep down, might care about peace enough to continue without the glitzy recognition. But let’s face the reality: for many, the prize is a huge motivator. And once that reward is gone, many of them would stop giving a damn. Not only would they stop, but it’s quite likely they wouldn’t have the same drive to push for peace if they weren’t being applauded for it. That’s the truth that no one wants to admit.

The whole structure of giving out peace prizes has made peace a commodity, something that gets handed out like a trophy for the “best performance.” It’s essentially a system where peace is valued only when it comes with some form of validation. This is what the prize system does — it turns peace into a contest, a spectacle, and ultimately, something to be won.

Here’s the kicker: true peace is not something you reward. Peace isn’t a job you do because there’s a bonus at the end. It’s not a thing to check off a list, an accomplishment you can put on your resume. True peace is something that should be the norm, not something that gets handed out like a pat on the back. It should be unconditional, not conditional on whether or not you win a prestigious award. It should be ingrained in the way we live, in the way we treat each other, and in the way we treat the world.

When you frame peace as a prize, you turn it into something that’s about the individual — about the person who wins, about their “special” contribution. And that fundamentally misses the point. Peace is never about one person. It’s about the collective. It’s about everyone working together, not because they expect a reward, but because they believe in the inherent value of peace itself.

By tying peace to an award, you’re saying, “Oh, peace is important — but only if someone’s there to recognize you for it.” The rest of the work that’s done without recognition? Well, that’s not as important. It’s not as worthy of attention. And that’s the message you send to everyone who isn’t getting a prize.

How many people who have worked for peace, whether in their communities or on the global stage, have gone unnoticed simply because they weren’t lucky enough to be in the spotlight? How many people work tirelessly every day for a better world, not because they want an award, but because it’s the right thing to do? By framing peace as something to be rewarded, we diminish all that work that goes unnoticed. And that, my friends, is one of the most dangerous consequences of the peace prize system. It devalues the everyday efforts of countless people around the world who are trying to make a difference.

The peace prize system is also a way to wash over all the things that weren’t awarded, and that’s a problem. By making peace into a prize, we are essentially telling people that only the people who are deemed worthy by a small, elite group (the Nobel committee) get to be recognized. Everyone else — all the folks who may be doing just as much, or even more, for peace — are left out in the cold. Their efforts are ignored, overshadowed by the big-name winners who happen to be in the right place at the right time.

And this is where the hypocrisy shines through. Every time someone gets a Nobel Peace Prize, we’re essentially telling the world, “This is the peace that matters. This is the peace that’s important.” But in doing so, we completely disregard the larger, collective effort required to build peace on a global scale.

How many people were never awarded the prize, but are quietly out there fighting for peace every single day? How many indigenous communities, grassroots organizers, and local activists are out there, doing the hard work that doesn’t get celebrated? They’re doing it not for recognition, not for fame, but because they believe in something greater than themselves. That’s the kind of peace that truly matters, and that’s the kind of peace that should be the standard, not the exception.

When peace is framed as a prize, you create a system where peace is seen as something “special,” something that only a few can achieve. But the truth is, peace should be normal. It should be a baseline, a fundamental expectation for how we live and interact with each other. It’s a failure on every level when we treat peace like a rare commodity that only a select few individuals get to be honored for. True peace is not a prize; it’s a way of being. It’s a collective, ongoing struggle, not a momentary victory to be awarded.

The whole concept of a “peace prize” is rooted in the illusion that peace can be achieved by a select few — by the ones who “deserve” it because they’ve done something “peaceful.” But peace doesn’t work that way. Peace doesn’t belong to any one person, no matter how much they’ve contributed to some small facet of it. True peace requires the collective effort of everyone — from the individual level all the way up to the global stage. It’s about all of us coming together, shaking off our complacency, and demanding change.

So, fuck that. No more giving out peace prizes like they’re some kind of shiny trophy to be handed out and admired. True peace doesn’t deserve a prize. It deserves real, sustained effort from everyone. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Peace isn’t something to be doled out like a participation ribbon. It’s a way of life. And it’s time we all started acting like it.

At the end of the day, the peace prize system is a reflection of the larger problem with how we view peace in our society: we see it as a special achievement, something that deserves to be rewarded, recognized, and celebrated. But this approach completely misses the point. True peace is not something that can be handed out as an award. It’s something that should be ingrained in the very fabric of our lives, something we work toward every single day.

By turning peace into a prize, we turn it into a competition, a transaction, something that can be earned. We strip away the collective nature of peace and make it about individuals seeking validation. That’s the reality we’re living in. It’s time to change that.

True peace isn’t about one person getting recognition. It’s about all of us working together, without expectation of reward, to make peace the foundation of our world. It’s time to stop rewarding peace and start living it.