Nobel politics: Do Thunberg and Trump have something in common?
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Howard LaFranchi Staff writer
Imagine the world as a theater with two Nobel Peace Prize nominees on the stage and global public opinion as the audience.
In this corner 鈥� over to the left 鈥� is Greta Thunberg, the teenage climate activist who has led high schoolers across the globe in Friday classroom walkouts to protest world leaders鈥� failure to take seriously and act on the dire consequences of a warming planet.
And in the other corner 鈥� over to the right 鈥� is President Donald Trump, on the stage for his role in coaxing the United Arab Emirates (and now a second Gulf kingdom, Bahrain) to normalize relations with Israel. The latest step toward resolving the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict was formalized in a signing ceremony at the White House Tuesday.
Why We Wrote This
In the world of Nobel Peace Prize politics, Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg, along with their constituencies, would seem to be worlds apart. But the key question is: Did they advance the cause of peace?
The audience observing Ms. Thunberg and Mr. Trump is split into two distinct camps that stand about as far apart from each other as the two Nobel nominees on the stage.
Indeed, what the two nominations reveal 鈥� Ms. Thunberg鈥檚 for this year鈥檚 Nobel Peace Prize, to be announced Oct. 9, Mr. Trump鈥檚 for the 2021 prize 鈥� is a swirling sea of global thought trends that is as riven and polarized as the political landscapes of many countries, including that of the United States.
Ms. Thunberg鈥檚 supporters are not just the young who berate older generations for doing too little to reduce carbon emissions and halt the march toward an unlivable planet. Also present are groups of adults who admire the Swedish student鈥檚 activism and dedication to an existential cause. Many of them are in international media or are climate scientists, academics, philanthropists, or progressive political and cultural leaders.
Both sides dismissive
For many on President Trump鈥檚 side of the audience, Ms. Thunberg鈥檚 supporters are reduced with an eye roll as belonging to the 鈥済lobal elites鈥� 鈥� or as Fox News commentator Greg Gutfeld says derisively, 鈥渢he cool kids in the cafeteria.鈥� Supporters of a Trump Nobel may themselves be members of the global elite, but they hold themselves separate from the dominant 鈥渃ool kid鈥� mindset they say could never acknowledge that Mr. Trump just might deserve the prize.
鈥淭here are times when you can almost hear the Left-wing aneurysms happening. Such a moment occurred this week when it was announced that Donald Trump鈥檚 name had been put forward for the Nobel Peace Prize,鈥� wrote the London Telegraph鈥檚 Douglas Murray last week. 鈥淐ue outrage, shock, denial, grief, rage, and a number of less elevated emotions.鈥�
Of course the right side of the global theater 鈥� including Mr. Trump himself 鈥� had been equally dismissive and even merciless with Ms. Thunberg last year when she arrived in New York via solar-powered boat to address the United Nations General Assembly, spoke to the cream of the elites in Davos, and was named Time magazine鈥檚 2019 person of the year.
There is no getting around the fact that the supporters of the two nominees are very different. Ms. Thunberg was nominated by two Left Party members of the Swedish Parliament who said that if neglected, the climate crisis will lead to new conflicts and wars. President Trump was nominated by 海角大神 Tybring-Gjedde, a member of Norway鈥檚 Parliament from the right-wing populist and anti-immigration Progress Party.
Mr. Tybring-Gjedde had already nominated Mr. Trump for the Nobel in 2018 for his overtures to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un 鈥� whom he also nominated.
To a great extent, President Trump鈥檚 poor standing in global thought is a reflection of his deep unpopularity across much of the world. Outside of a few exceptions 鈥� Israel, the Philippines, to some degree Nigeria and India 鈥� Mr. Trump receives dismal and, in some cases, unprecedentedly low marks.
New Pew poll鈥檚 falling numbers
A new Pew Research Center survey released Tuesday of 13 countries, including key U.S. allies and partners, confirms the world鈥檚 falling esteem for the United States and dim view of the U.S. president.
The survey found historically low levels of esteem for the U.S. in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, with just above one quarter (26%) of Germans having a favorable view of the U.S. Based on the results of other questions posed in the survey, the unprecedented low ratings are tied to perceptions of disastrous management of the pandemic in the U.S. as well as to Mr. Trump鈥檚 broad unpopularity.
At the same time, the Pew survey found pockets of relatively higher favorability ratings for President Trump in each of the countries surveyed 鈥� by and large among adherents to their country鈥檚 right-wing populist and anti-immigration political parties. People like Mr. Tybring-Gjedde in Norway.
鈥淧eople on the right of the political spectrum were more likely than those on the left to have a positive view of both the U.S. and Donald Trump,鈥� says Janell Fetterolf, an expert in global attitudes at Pew Research Center in Washington. 鈥淲e also found this last year,鈥� she adds, 鈥渢hat supporters of right-wing populist parties are more likely to support Mr. Trump, particularly over his policies related to immigration.鈥�
This year鈥檚 survey found eye-poppingly low levels of support for Mr. Trump 鈥� 11% in France, 10% in Germany and Denmark, 9% in Belgium 鈥� but higher support across the board among right-wing populists.
Thus President Trump鈥檚 numbers in Spain rose sharply to 45% among supporters of the right-wing Vox party; and to 34% among voters for Germany鈥檚 Alternative for Germany party.
But even among Europe鈥檚 nationalists, Mr. Trump takes a hit on the question of global leadership over his shift away from previous U.S. presidents to his 鈥淎merica First鈥� outlook on international affairs, Ms. Fetterolf says.
Polarizing is nothing new
Some experts in international affairs point out in any case that while the Thunberg-Trump Nobel nominations may indeed reflect a hyper-polarized world of deep political divides, this is by no means the first time the Nobel committee has received polarizing nominations.
鈥淭he fact that polarizing people are being聽nominated聽should not be all that surprising,鈥� says Vincent Keating, an expert in international politics at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. 鈥淭he prize has previously been given to people that have been polarizing, both in terms of the reverence or contempt for them among certain political constituencies, and questions over whether they deserve the prize,鈥� he adds. 鈥淪ee Kissinger and Obama for contrasting American examples.鈥�
In any case, Professor Keating notes that while the patterns of global thought, political and otherwise, that are the impetus for Nobel nominations may be constantly shifting, reflecting widely divergent perspectives, 鈥渢he underlying justifications for why these individuals should win the prize is relatively stable.鈥�
In other words, are they peacemakers or not?
鈥淭rump isn鈥檛 being nominated for just anything, he is nominated for his alleged role in brokering a deal that could sustain peace鈥� in the Middle East, Professor Keating says. 鈥淪ame with Greta Thunberg 鈥� her climate change activism is explicitly linked back to the role it has in preserving peace.鈥�
