Putin's Nobel Peace Prize nomination mind-bending

Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Photo: Reuters, Alexei Nikolskyi)

Russian President Vladimir Putin's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize by Russian group the International Academy of Spiritual Unity and Cooperation of Peoples of the World raised quite a few eyebrows across the world, as the news looks at first sight for many like a satirical piece from The Onion, astounding you and leading you on a merry chase.

But still, I am quite sure that the late Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Peace Prize, would not have created this award if he knew that the prize -- an award that should, according to Nobel's will, be granted to leaders who have strained every nerve for the sake of building bridges of peace and reconciliation between nations through their position -- would in future be given to Putin, a leader who has hardly undertaken policies that make him eligible for the award. And I wonder how public officials and celebrities in Russia can praise such an incomprehensible step taken to reward a leader who is still continuing his anti-democratic practices.

Putin was bestowed this privilege of being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as he was the one who brought the world a breath of fresh air by addressing the US-Syrian dispute over chemical weapons that was tarnishing the reputation and credibility of the international community. But what about those weapons that Putin is providing to the regime in Damascus, which assist Bashar al-Assad to continuously carry out massacres against his own people, a crime against humanity that should be punished, and in fact help him prevail by buying the blood-thirsty regime time in this brutal civil war?

What about the gross human rights abuses in Chechnya, which are no meaningful departure from the old state's tradition of brutally suppressing the Chechens? What about the minorities in southern Russia that have suffered hardships throughout history, and also Georgia, a country to the south of Russia that Moscow still regards as its backyard? It goes without saying that with his democratic values, Putin is fostering “greater respect” back in his home country. Putin should not be too excited about the prize and, as I think, the laws on Russian homosexuals, more than Chechnya or Georgia, would be the main obstacle on his way to this exalted award of his political career.

Despite all of this, Putin, without a doubt, will not miss his chance to win the prize, as the Russian leader is champing at the bit to drown his rage after 2009 when Barack Obama won the prize, as it will be a nice opportunity to show his long-term challenger what he is made of.

However, if it does happen, most probably it will, as William Shakespeare said that “all the world's a stage,” help Putin transform into “an angel of light” and think more about human beings with safe and happy lives before he continues to overlook the demands of his own people.