Betraying the Nobel: The Secrets and Corruption Behind the Nobel Peace Prize

Turrettini (The Lone Wolf Killer), a trained lawyer and motivational speaker, delivers an intermittently intriguing yet narrow-minded indictment of how the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. According to Turrettini, the “political veterans” chosen by the Norwegian parliament to sit on the Nobel committee have muddled the prize’s original intention by widening its parameters to include environmental and humanitarian work, and by using it to strengthen international alliances or “chastise” countries for political choices Norway disagrees with. She claims that the awarding of the prize to former U.S. president Jimmy Carter in 2002 was intended largely as a critique of then-president George W. Bush, who had sent troops to Afghanistan and was threatening to invade Iraq. Turrettini also argues that Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi should have her 1991 prize revoked for showing “shocking indifference” to the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, though the controversy that might be sparked by such a move (which has never been done before) is left undiscussed. Turrettini’s proposed fixes include changes to the committee membership and a transparent selection process. Though Turrettini includes some telling tidbits about past winners, the hyperbolic tone grates. Readers will wonder what all the fuss is about. (Nov.)