With its 2025 Peace Prize decision, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has deliberately shifted the world’s attention from the high-profile conflict in the Middle East to the protracted political crisis in Venezuela. Awarding the prize to María Corina Machado instead of Donald Trump was a conscious choice of narrative.
For weeks, the global conversation surrounding the Nobel was dominated by Trump’s role in a Gaza ceasefire plan. His supporters positioned this as the most significant recent achievement in global peacemaking, making him the presumptive favorite.
However, the committee opted to use its powerful platform to highlight a different, and arguably more neglected, struggle. By honoring Machado’s work to unify the Venezuelan opposition, they have forced the world’s media and political leaders to re-engage with the quest for democracy in South America.
The White House’s reaction kept its focus firmly on Trump’s preferred arena, with a statement about “ending wars” that implicitly references conflicts like the one in Gaza. It showed a reluctance to acknowledge the committee’s change of subject.
The Nobel Peace Prize has a unique power to set the global agenda. This year, the committee has used that power to say that while ceasefires in major wars are crucial, the slow, brave struggle for democracy in nations like Venezuela is equally deserving of the world’s attention and support.