Is Trump the New Henry Kissinger? A Controversial Nobel Precedent

Donald Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination has some observers drawing parallels to one of the most controversial decisions in Nobel history: the 1973 award to U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. While the comparison highlights the prize’s potential for controversy, it also shows why the committee is unlikely to repeat such a divisive choice.
Kissinger was awarded the prize for his work in negotiating a ceasefire in the Vietnam War. However, the award was met with outrage from many who pointed to his role in the bombing of Cambodia and other aggressive military actions. Two of the five committee members resigned in protest, and Kissinger’s co-laureate from North Vietnam refused to accept the prize. It remains a stain on the Nobel’s reputation.
Like Kissinger, Trump is a polarizing figure nominated for a specific diplomatic achievement (the Abraham Accords) while his broader record is condemned by critics as being contrary to the cause of peace. Supporters might argue that if Kissinger could win for a flawed peace deal, so can Trump.
However, the committee of today is not the committee of 1973. The Kissinger controversy, along with others like the 2009 Obama prize, has made the institution far more risk-averse and conscious of its public image. They have learned that awarding the prize to a figure deeply implicated in conflict or division, no matter their diplomatic successes, can cause lasting damage to the Nobel brand.
The lesson from the Kissinger affair is one of caution. It demonstrates that a single achievement may not be enough to outweigh a deeply controversial record. Given that Trump is arguably an even more divisive global figure than Kissinger was, the committee is expected to steer well clear of a decision that would ignite a similar, or likely greater, firestorm.