Sanctions and turbulence Trump comes away empty-handed - what Norway now faces
The Norwegian Nobel Committee selects the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
All cameras are focused on Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prizes he founded. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Sees himself as an exemplary laureate: US President Donald Trump.
Image: dpa
The Norwegian Nobel Committee selects the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
All cameras are focused on Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prizes he founded. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Sees himself as an exemplary laureate: US President Donald Trump.
Image: dpa
The US president not only claims Greenland and the Panama Canal, but also the Nobel Prize. The breakthrough in the Middle East is just what he needs. Will Oslo take notice?
10.10.2025, 09:57
10.10.2025, 11:21
dpa
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- Norway's politicians are bracing themselves for diplomatic turmoil if Trump does not win the Nobel Peace Prize.
- The Nobel Committee already made its choice on Monday and emphasizes its complete independence; Trump's Gaza mediations play no role for 2025.
- Analysts fear a reaction of tariffs or pressure on NATO contributions, but consider it highly unlikely that Trump will be awarded the prize.
Nobody knows who will receive it yet, but one person in particular wants it: The winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize will be announced today in the Norwegian capital Oslo. At 11.00 a.m., the Norwegian Nobel Committee will reveal the secret of who it is awarding the most prestigious political prize to this year. This year, 338 candidates have been nominated, including 244 individuals and 94 organizations.
Who is on the shortlist is always kept secret in the Nobel world for 50 years. But one person in particular is making no secret of his claim to the prize: shortly after the announcement of the breakthrough in the indirect negotiations between Israel and the Islamist Hamas to end the Gaza war, US President Donald Trump considers himself more predestined than ever to be honored on the big stage as a peacemaker. However, it is completely unclear whether the peace plan he has presented will have a lasting effect.
This time there are 52 more nominees than last year. Back then, the Japanese peace organization Nihon Hidankyo received the award. The organization of survivors of the nuclear weapons dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was honoured for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. It tries to emphasize its goals with the help of impressive testimonies from contemporary witnesses.
Many trouble spots, strict secrecy
It is almost impossible to predict where the Nobel Prize will be awarded this time - partly due to the many trouble spots around the world. Trump himself and some of his supporters have repeatedly emphasized in recent weeks that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. In just seven months, he had ended seven wars, Trump told the UN General Assembly in New York, for example - although this statement is controversial to say the least. Trump does not dispute this: "Everyone says I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for every single one of these achievements," he said.
The breakthrough in the Middle East is likely to have further strengthened his view. Israel's President Isaac Herzog wrote on Platform X on Thursday: "There is no doubt that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for this." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also demanded: "Give Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize - he deserves it!"
Norway trembles before the decision
However, Norway is preparing itself in case Donald Trump remains without a prize. The Nobel Committee made it clear that the decision had already been made on Monday - i.e. before the latest Gaza ceasefire to which Trump refers. Political influence is pointless, said committee chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes to Norwegian media. Trump's Gaza role is therefore not relevant for 2025; it could be assessed next year at the earliest.
In politics, government representatives emphasize their distance from the award. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide once again referred to the independence of the committee. At the same time, opposition voices are urging caution: "We must be prepared for anything," said Kirsti Bergstø, leader of the Socialist Left Party. An "authoritarian" president could react unpredictably - and possibly not understand that the committee is not state-controlled. Green Party leader Arild Hermstad expressed a similar view, saying that a prize should only be awarded for many years of peace work.
«The decision for the Nobel Prize was already made on Monday»
Commentators and researchers outline possible reactions: From tariffs to pressure on Nato contributions to harsh rhetoric against Norway - scenarios that could hurt politically and economically. At the same time, Nobel experts consider it highly unlikely that Trump will be awarded the prize. The reason: his foreign and domestic policy course clashes with the criteria laid down by Alfred Nobel - the promotion of understanding, disarmament and peace.
Peace researchers and betting agencies have their favorites
Trump is also one of the top favorites among betting agencies - alongside Syrian peace activist Abir Hajj Ibrahim and the widow of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, who died in Russian custody. An award from the US President is likely to surprise many: Critics accuse Trump not only of undermining rules-based international cooperation based on multilateral treaties, agreements and values, but rather of having created new sources of conflict and made breaking political taboos socially acceptable with his radical approach.
Karim Haggag, Director of the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (Sipri), suggested that the Nobel Prize should be awarded to local activists who tirelessly strive for mediation, reconciliation and peace-building far away from the global public eye. "I would advocate awarding the prize to those who I would describe as the forgotten peacemakers on the ground in the world's forgotten conflicts," Haggag told the German Press Agency.
The director of the Oslo Peace Research Institute Prio, Nina Græger, has only organizations and institutions on her list of favourites this year. These include the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the Emergency Response Rooms (ERR) volunteer network in Sudan, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Final spurt in the Nobel Prize series
The week of Nobel Prize announcements reaches its annual climax with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. In the past few days, the winners in the categories of medicine, physics, chemistry and literature have already been announced. The final award in economics will follow on Monday. The Nobel Prizes are traditionally awarded in Stockholm, the only exception being the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.
This year, the Nobel Prizes are once again endowed with eleven million Swedish kronor per category - the equivalent of around one million euros. The prestigious awards are traditionally presented on 10 December, the anniversary of the death of the Swedish dynamite inventor and prize donor Alfred Nobel (1833-1896).
