Wikileaks: Does Bradley Manning deserve a Nobel Peace Prize?

Icelandic lawmakers nominate the accused secret spiller — reigniting a debate over whether Manning aided the world, or aided the enemy

Best Opinion:  Salem-News, TIME, Hot Air

Three members of the Icelandic parliament have nominated accused WikiLeaks informant Army Pfc. Bradley Manning for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. Manning allegedly put 250,000 Department of State diplomatic cables, Department of Defense gun camera videos, and other classified documents onto CD-RWs, and sent them to WikiLeaks, which posted them online for all to see. The Icelandic politicians say Manning, who is being court-martialed for aiding the enemy, did the world a favor by exposing America's "long history of corruption, war crimes, and imperialism." Does Manning really deserve a medal?

Manning deserves this award: "Bradley Manning is a hero," not a criminal, says Brian Sonenstein at Salem-News.com. If he really did leak these documents, which helped catalyze the Arab Spring by exposing "official corruption and brutality in countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria," then there are truly "few individuals who have made as great a contribution to justice and peace." And because of his "unjust treatment," there are "even fewer who have had to pay for it the way he has."
"Tell the Nobel Committee: Award Bradley Manning the 2012 Peace Prize"

Manning's boosters are ignoring the facts: The Icelandic lawmakers's choice "shows a deep ignorance of what Manning stands accused of," says Ron Capps at TIME. Manning's alleged leaks "put the lives of American service members, diplomats, and citizens at greater risk." The Nobel Peace Prize is meant for someone who fosters "fraternity between nations" — not "betraying an oath and putting the lives of your countrymen and their sources in grave danger."
"The Nobel betrayal prize"

The irony is just too much: The Nobel Peace Prize already has "a rotting fish reputation" thanks to its often-dubious nominations, says Jazz Shaw at Hot Air. Manning's nod makes the stench unbearable. Manning supposedly deserves the prize because he exposed "war crimes" in Iraq and has endured heroic suffering behind bars. But his backers fail to mention that the 2009 Nobel winner, President Obama, is the one ultimately responsible for Manning's ostensibly "horrible treatment." The prize is now officially a joke.
"Super. Bradley Manning for the (wait for it...) Nobel Peace Prize"

 

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