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SEOUL – Can a Nobel Prize be given as a gift? While the physical gold medal may change hands, the official record of the laureate remains permanent and immutable, according to the Nobel Committee.
The debate surfaced following reports that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gifted her Nobel Peace Prize medal to U.S. President Donald Trump. While Machado described the gesture as "sharing" the honor, the move has ignited a firestorm over the political instrumentalization of the world’s most prestigious award.
Historical Precedents: From Nazi Gifts to Humanitarian Auctions
History shows that Nobel medals have left their original owners' hands before, often under vastly different circumstances:
The Infamous Gift: In the 1940s, Norwegian author Knut Hamsun (1920 Literature laureate) gifted his medal to Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. Deeply infatuated with Nazi ideology, Hamsun’s gesture remains a dark stain on his legacy.
The Humanitarian Sacrifice: Conversely, Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov (2021 Peace laureate) auctioned his medal in 2022 to benefit Ukrainian child refugees. The medal fetched a staggering $103.5 million, all of which was donated to UNICEF.
The Nobel Committee’s Stance: "Possession is not Title"
Despite these transfers, the Nobel Committee maintains a strict stance on the integrity of the prize. In a statement released on January 10, the committee emphasized that their decisions are "final, permanent, and subject to no appeal."
The Nobel Peace Center further clarified via social media: "The ownership of a medal may change, but the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate remains with the original recipient." Essentially, while President Trump may physically hold the medal, he is not legally or historically recognized as a Nobel laureate.
Political Backlash and "Justifying Aggression"
The gift is viewed by many as a calculated political move. Critics argue that Machado is leveraging the prestige of the Nobel Prize to curry favor with Trump and secure his support in the Venezuelan power struggle.
In Norway, the reaction has been particularly cold. Asle Sveen, a former researcher at the Nobel Institute, noted that Norwegians largely view Trump as a threat to liberal democracy. Furthermore, columnists like Lena Lindgren warned that the medal is being used as a "trophy" to justify military intervention in Venezuela, potentially damaging the Nobel Prize's long-term authority.
"The Nobel Committee failed to foresee how this award would be used to legitimize military conflict," Lindgren wrote, calling the situation "politically embarrassing" for Norway.
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