Good morning, dear readers,
These are successful days for the United States – at least as far as award winners are concerned. The Nobel Prize in Medicine went to two researchers from the USA, and the Nobel Prize in Physics went to another American. There were no congratulations from the White House, and Donald Trump’s government has not yet made a great appearance as a friend of science. For the US President, the only thing that counts is the award on Friday: the Nobel Peace Prize. But can he really win it?
The US President makes no secret of the fact that Trump wants the award. Trump recently said it would be an “insult” if he didn’t receive the award. In his speech to the United Nations, the US President also announced that he had ended seven wars since the beginning of his term in office. “Everyone says I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for every single one of these achievements“, Trump praised himself on the world stage. The US President once again omitted the fact that these were by no means wars everywhere, let alone that the USA played a decisive role in the peace process (read more about this here).
Why Trump could (not) win the Nobel Peace Prize
It is not impossible that Trump could win the prize. He can see the agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on Nagorno-Karabakh as a success. And if there really is a lasting peace situation in the Gaza Strip, Trump would be assured of global recognition – but so far there is no agreement in sight. Alfred Nobel once stipulated in his will that the prize should go to the person “who has contributed most or best to the fraternity between nations, to the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and to the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
In contrast, there is a US president who is gradually abolishing democracy in his own country, deploying soldiers against his own population – speaking of a “war within” – and sinking ships off the coast of Ecuador in the war against drug cartels. What makes matters worse for Trump is that he denies climate change and is abolishing environmental regulations in the USA. In the 21st century, the Nobel Committee has also “recognized efforts to limit the damage caused by human-caused climate change and environmental threats as relevant to the Peace Prize,” according to the official website.
Now it’s not the case that “everyone” says that Trump deserves the award – quite the opposite. In a Washington Post poll published in mid-September, 76 percent of Americans surveyed said that Trump should not receive the award. What’s surprising is that the US President also has little support within his own party. One in two Republican voters denied Trump the award.
Trump is not the favorite among experts either. Peace researcher Karim Haggag complains that Trump has not yet been able to resolve any conflict properly. A Nobel Prize is therefore difficult to justify. Haggag instead advocated for individuals or groups who mediated in “forgotten” conflicts, such as Sudan. The civil war there is currently the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with many millions of refugees and people starving. The Emergency Response Rooms volunteer network there is one of the favorites for the Oslo Peace Research Institute Prio.
Donald Trump seems to suspect that he only has outsider chances. As a fair loser, he declared in advance: “The prize will be given to some guy who hasn’t done a damn thing.” It doesn’t seem to occur to the self-proclaimed President of Peace that he could end up offside the jury with such a statement.
Sarah Kuttner and the “fucking Ferrari”
Sarah Kuttner has become quieter in recent years. The former music presenter explains why star-Interview: “I’m not someone you can put on ‘Temptation Island’. I’m a niche guy. There are hardly any places for all my crazy ideas.” But she doesn’t regret that the moderation jobs have become fewer: “I was never really happy with the role of celebrities.”
Today Kuttner is her own director, seeks contact with her fans on YouTube and Instagram, and writes books. In the interview she talks about her latest work, the difficult relationship with her mother and why she sometimes feels like a “fucking Ferrari”.
Danger approaching
Even if the view of the sky is fortunately not blocked: more and more man-made objects are accumulating in Earth’s orbit. Space debris makes it increasingly difficult to avoid collisions, which would then cause even more pollution in the orbit.
Researchers have now discovered which 50 objects have the greatest probability of a collision. The pieces of scrap move around the earth at a speed of eight kilometers per second. So does anyone clean up space? According to the researchers, removing the ten most dangerous objects would reduce the likelihood of an accident by 30 percent. You can read about what these parts are and where they come from here.
And otherwise? More headlines
- Texas National Guard arrived in Illinois
- At least two dead after building collapses in Madrid
- The FC Bayern Munich footballers experienced a debacle at the start of the Champions League
This will happen on Wednesday, October 8th
- The EU Parliament votes on a ban on names for veggie products
- The Bundestag is discussing the Voted to abolish the so-called turbo naturalization
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded in Stockholm
Our star+ recommendation of the day
Motherhood with pregnancy and childbirth changes women just as seriously as puberty. There’s a term for this: “motherhood.” Read here what the brain has to do with it.
How did you like this morning star? Feel free to write it to me: maximilian.seidenfaden@stern.de. You can also receive this morning briefing in your inbox as a newsletter. Get in touch simply click on the following link.
I wish you a good start to the day!
Take care!
Max silk thread
