Just as the world expected, Donald Trump has found yet another reason to be aggrieved. The Nobel Peace Prize has gone to someone else. Again.
And the man who believes he has done more for world peace than anyone since Columbus discovered America is left wondering why the world refuses to acknowledge his greatness.
Imagine the agony. Here is a man who has repeatedly reminded the world of his unparalleled achievements, negotiated peace, ended wars (at least in his own telling), and brought international conflicts to the brink of resolution, only to discover that the Nobel Committee has once again failed to consult his personal assessment of history.
Worse, the prize has gone to Navi Pillay, a South African jurist of Indian Tamil ancestry and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Perhaps Trump genuinely belongs to the select group of people who have never heard of her. But then, unfamiliarity with a person’s achievements has never stopped him from forming a firm opinion about them.
Norway, the ungrateful villain
Trump’s displeasure with Norway is particularly entertaining. One would imagine that the Norwegian government had personally conspired to deprive him of a birthright.
There is, of course, a small detail that seems to have escaped the US President’s attention. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, not by the Norwegian government.
Perhaps Trump’s next diplomatic initiative should be to summon Norway’s ambassador and demand an explanation for this outrageous oversight. If that fails, he could always threaten tariffs on Norwegian salmon. It is quite like making fish pay for a committee’s independent judgement.
A Nobel-sized hole in the ego
The truly fascinating aspect of Trump’s disappointment is not that he wanted the prize. Plenty of worthy people aspire to it. It is that he appears to regard the award not as an honour bestowed by an independent body, but as a certificate the world owes him for services rendered.
The Nobel Committee, unfortunately, does not operate as an extension of the White House communications team. It cannot be expected to hand out medals merely because their prospective recipients have repeatedly nominated themselves in public.
And if the prize has gone to someone whose work Trump claims not to know, the sensible response would be to find out what she has accomplished. But that would require curiosity, a willingness to acknowledge another person’s achievements and the possibility that someone else might deserve recognition.
These are demanding requirements for anyone who believes that the world’s greatest achievements are those performed by himself.
Pillay’s Indian connection
Pillay’s Indian roots add an interesting twist to this transcontinental drama. Of Tamil ancestry, she represents a South African story shaped by the country’s long struggle against apartheid and its pursuit of human rights.
Yet Trump’s apparent inability to recognise her name does not diminish her record. Nor does his displeasure with Norway make her achievement any less deserving of attention.
One wonders whether the President would have taken the news more gracefully had the prize gone to someone whose name he recognised, or whose photograph had appeared beside his at a summit.
The peace that passeth understanding
The irony is difficult to miss. A prize intended to recognise contributions to peace has become the occasion for another public display of resentment by a man who insists that he is the world’s indispensable peacemaker.
Perhaps the Nobel Committee should send him a courteous letter explaining that its decision is not a verdict on his entire life, merely a choice about whom it wishes to honour.
It could even include a footnote explaining that not knowing the recipient is not, by itself, evidence that the recipient is undeserving.
And if that fails, there is always another year. Trump can continue campaigning, reminding the world of his accomplishments and wondering aloud why the judges remain unimpressed.
After all, the agony of being overlooked is particularly acute when one has spent so much time ensuring that nobody can possibly overlook oneself.
For now, perhaps Norway could offer him a consolation gift: a mirror, handsomely framed, with a plaque reading, For outstanding services to self-recognition. At least this time, he could be certain the award had gone to someone he knew.
Thank God, the Oslo panel doesn’t have EVMs and no Gyanesh Kumar. Else, Elon Musk would have jumped to Trump’s rescue.
Video: IndiaGlobalReview, via YouTube
