Anthony Faiola writes about this years Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to the European Union. Many are pointing out that the award is becoming "depersonalized" from it's original meaning, especially since President Obama was awarded it only months after being elected back in 2009. The integration of 27 nations has been in the midst of a serious debt crisis, and has sparked civil uproars that haven't been seen in generations. Countries like Spain and Greece have been dragging in economic and political aspects, but have managed to stick around with the help of other member countries, mainly Germany. "The award honored the struggle in Europe to not only hold the union together in the wake of the debt crisis, but also to deepen integration across a vast swath of the region stretching from the isles of Greece to the Scottish Highlands, from the ports of Portugal to northern Finland." However, not everyone is viewing it this way; British reformist parties are targeting the recent policies implemented by the Union and bastardizing them. This award also comes at the time where 17 nations are currently using the Euro as the common form of currency, and the other 10 use something different. This worries economic supervisors that those 10 countries will soon drift from the rest, thus resulting in a "two-tiered body". Nationalist parties in suffering countries are being rallied to ask Germany for economic assistance, which it is remaining reluctant to fall through. Some countries are even considering leaving the Union, Britain being the most likely with its "jealously guarded pound". Personally I don't believe the award should be given to large vastly spread organization or to a political leader, it just seems it should go to a single outstanding individual. However, this may bring some strength to the stability of these countries, and allow this debt crisis to pass on by.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2012-nobel-peace-prize-awarded-to-european-union/2012/10/12/e8341058-1450-11e2-9a39-1f5a7f6fe945_story_1.html
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