EU Wins the Nobel?

From Reuters last week:

"The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for promoting peace, democracy and human rights over six decades, a morale boost for the bloc as it struggles to resolve its economic crisis.

The award served as a reminder that the EU had largely brought peace to a continent that tore itself apart in two world wars in which tens of millions died.

The EU has transformed most of Europe "from a continent of wars to a continent of peace", Nobel Committee Chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said in announcing the award in Oslo.

"The EU is currently undergoing grave economic difficulties and considerable social unrest," Jagland said. "The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to focus on what it sees as the EU's most important result: the successful struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights."'

I won't spend too much time on the actual choice by the Nobel committee here; I think we are past the point where noting how...interesting...its choices can be is a novel discussion. Further, the committee has shown a strong ability to blindly ignore choices which will likely face widespread derision. In short, any analysis or critique I provide with respect to the situation will have as much practical impact as the decision itself.

That said, I do think that this is a good opportunity to point out that the Board was on the right track on at least one aspect of this; the EU could certainly use the $1.2 million award.