The Nobel Peace Prize is the world’s most prestigious award, as Jay Nordlinger argues in this erudite and insightful history. He has written not only the go-to reference book for the prize and its laureates but also an important philosophical reflection on the nature of “peace” in modern times.

The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo should remind the world the world that Liu is one Chinese of many who are fighting for, indeed risking their lives for, democratic change in China.

The decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama was an extension of European policy that champions consensus over achievement, but while Obama is still rhetorically European, he will continue to act as an American.

Awarding President Obama the Nobel prize, while shocking to many, is merely the logical extension of European, particularly Nordic/Scandinavian, policy for at least the last two decades: as long as one appears to care and says the right things, it does not matter if you do anything useful.

Obama should send the mother of a fallen soldier to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all the American service men and women who are the true peacekeepers.

Al Gore identified the problem, but his cure is worse than the disease.

Perhaps Al Gore should run for president in 2008 after all.