US President Donald Trump’s bid for the Nobel Peace Prize has heightened interest in this year’s lineup of potential laureates. The Nobel announcements kick off Monday with the medicine prize, followed by physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday, and literature on Thursday. The Nobel Peace Prize is set for Friday, with the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences to be announced on October 13.Longtime Nobel observers say Trump’s chances remain slim, despite a surge of high-profile nominations and his claims of notable foreign policy achievements, as cited by AP.“His rhetoric does not point in a peaceful perspective,” said Nina Græger, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, as she described Trump’s chances for the prize this year as “a long shot.”Trump has repeatedly claimed that he “deserves” the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in “ending seven wars.” On Tuesday, he suggested he could end an eighth if Israel and Hamas accept his peace plan to resolve the nearly two-year conflict in Gaza.“Nobody’s ever done that,” he said, addressing military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. “Will you get the Nobel Prize? Absolutely not. They’ll give it to some guy that didn’t do a damn thing.”Nobel veterans note that the committee tends to reward sustained, multilateral efforts rather than short-term diplomatic achievements. Theo Zenou, historian and research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, said Trump’s initiatives have yet to demonstrate a lasting impact.“I don’t think they would award the most prestigious prize in the world to someone who does not believe in climate change,” Zenou was quoted as saying by AP. “When you look at previous winners who have been bridge-builders, embodied international cooperation and reconciliation: These are not words we associate with Donald Trump.”The Nobel committee faced sharp criticism in 2009 for awarding then-US President Barack Obama the prize just nine months into his first term, with many arguing he had not been in office long enough to merit such recognition.
Academic freedom under threat
One of the Nobel Prize committees has warned that academic freedom is at risk in the US and beyond, with political interference potentially causing lasting harm. Critics say measures introduced or proposed by Donald Trump in his second term could undermine education and scientific research.Ylva Engstrom, vice president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel prizes in chemistry, physics, and economics, termed the Trump administration’s changes “reckless.”“I think in both the short and long term, it can have devastating effects,” Engstrom was quoted as saying by Reuters. “Academic freedom … is one of the pillars of the democratic system.”The Trump administration rejects claims of undermining academic freedom, asserting that its measures aim to reduce waste and foster US scientific innovation.
