It's not perfect and the economic crisis has challenged it and not everyone sees eye to eye, but last Friday, the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
And I say "it's about time".
We're not talking about 50 states under one government. This is 27 different countries with 27 different governments, different cultures, different presidents, God/Allah only knows how many different religions . . . that came together to promote, among other things, peace.
The award has also sparked plenty of commentary on the problems within the EU. Yes, there are some in the world who would say it isn't working or won't continue to work and maybe they're right.
But can you even imagine the day when these countries were at war with each other? The soil that is now home to the European Union has been grounds for near constant warfare dating back to BC for Christ's sake.
For example . . .
BC 1104–900 Dorian invasion
BC 743–724 First Messenian War
BC 710–650 Lelantine War
BC 685–668 Second Messenian War
BC 669–668 Sparta-Argos war
BC 595–585 First Sacred War
BC 560 Second Arcadian War
BC 540 Battle of Alalia
BC 538–522 Polycrates wars
BC 500–499 Persian invasion of Naxos
BC 492–490 First Persian War
BC 482–479 Second Persian War
BC 480–307 Sicilian Wars
BC 460–445 First Peloponnesian War
BC 449–448 Second Sacred War
BC 440–439 Samian War
BC 431–404 Second Peloponnesian War
BC 395–387 Corinthian War
BC 390 Gallic invasion of Rome
BC 323–322 Lamian War
BC 280–275 Pyrrhic War
BC 267–261 Chremonidean War
BC 264–241 First Punic War
BC 229–228 Illyrian Wars
BC 220–219 Illyrian Wars
BC 218–201 Second Punic War
BC 214–205 First Macedonian War
BC 200–197 Second Macedonian War
BC 191–189 Aetolian War
BC 171–168 Third Macedonian War
BC 135–132 First Servile War
BC 113–101 Cimbrian War
BC 113–439 AD Germanic Wars
BC 104–100 Second Servile War
BC 91–88 Social War
BC 88–87 Sulla's first civil war
BC 83–72 Sertorian War
BC 82–81 Sulla's second civil war
BC 78 Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
BC 73–71 Third Servile War
BC 63–62 Catiline Conspiracy
BC 55–54 Caesar's invasions of Britain
BC 58–51 Gallic Wars
BC 49–45 Caesar's Civil War
BC 44–36 Sicilian revolt
BC 43 Battle of Mutina
BC 43–42 Liberators' civil war
BC 41–40 Perusine War
BC 32–30 Antony's civil war
1st century–10th Century
Battle of the Milvian Bridge, 312
Battle of the Hellespont, 324
49–96 Roman conquest of Britain
51 War between Armenia and Iberia
69 Year of the Four Emperors
193 Year of the Five Emperors
208–210 Severan invasion of Caledonia
238 Year of the Six Emperors
284–285 Roman civil war
306–324 Civil Wars of the Tetrarchy
350–351 Roman civil war
360–361 Roman civil war
367–368 Great Conspiracy
376–382 Gothic War
387–388 Roman civil war
394 Roman civil war of 394 AD
535–554 Gothic War
582–602 Maurice's Balkan campaigns
c. 600–793 Frisian-Frankish Wars
650–799 Khazar–Arab Wars
680–1355 Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars
711–718 Umayyad conquest of Hispania
715–718 Frankish Civil War (715–718)
722–1492 Reconquista
772–804 Saxon Wars
c. 800/862–973 Hungarian invasions of Europe
830s Paphlagonian expedition of the Rus'
839–1330 Bulgarian–Serbian Wars
860 Rus'–Byzantine War
862–970 Hungarian invasions of Europe
865–878 Invasion of the Great Heathen Army
907 Rus'–Byzantine War
939 Battle of Andernach
941 Rus'–Byzantine War
955 Battle of Recknitz
970–971 Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria
982 Battle of Stilo
983 Great Slav Rising
c. 997–1445 Swedish–Novgorodian Wars
11th century
Battle of Hastings (1066)
1002–1018 German-Polish War
1015–1016 Pisan–Genoese expeditions to Sardinia
1015–1016 Cnut's invasion of England
1018 Battle of Vlaardingen
1024 Battle of Listven
1024 Rus'–Byzantine War
1043 Rus'–Byzantine War
1044 Battle of Ménfő
1050–1185 Byzantine–Norman wars
1060 Battle of the Theben Pass
1064–1308 Byzantine–Georgian wars
1066–1088 Norman conquest of England
1067–1194 Norman invasion of Wales
1067 Battle on the Nemiga River
1068 Battle of the Alta River
1073–1075 Saxon Rebellion
1075 Revolt of the Earls
1077–1088 Great Saxon Revolt
1088 Rebellion of 1088
1093 Battle of Schmilau
1093 Battle of the Stugna River
12th century
1109 Battle of Głogów
1115 Battle of Welfesholz
1126 Battle of Chlumec
1130–1240 Civil war era in Norway
1135–54 The Anarchy
1142–1445 Swedish–Novgorodian Wars
1144–1162 Baussenque Wars
1159–1345 Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines
1164 Battle of Verchen
1169–1175 Norman invasion of Ireland
1173–1174 Revolt of 1173–1174
1185–1204 Uprising of Asen and Peter
1198 Battle of Gisors
13th century
The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, 1212
1201 Battle of Stellau
1202–1214 Anglo–French War
1205 Battle of Zawichost
1208–1227 Conquest of Estonia
1209–1229 Albigensian Crusade
1211 Welsh uprising of 1211
1215–1217 First Barons' War
1216–1222 War of Succession of Champagne
1220–1264 The Age of the Sturlungs
1223–1241 Mongol invasion of Europe
1223–1480 Tatar raids in Russia
1224 Siege of La Rochelle
1227 Battle of Bornhöved
1231–1233 Friso-Drentic War
1239–1245 Teltow War
1242 Saintonge War
1256–1258 War of the Euboeote Succession
1256–1381 Venetian–Genoese Wars
1256–1422 Friso-Hollandic Wars
1260 Battle of Kressenbrunn
1262–1266 Scottish–Norwegian War
1264–1267 Second Barons' War
1265 Battle of Isaszeg
1277–1280 Uprising of Ivaylo
1278 Battle on the Marchfeld
1282–1302 War of the Sicilian Vespers
1283–1289 War of the Limburg Succession
1288–1295 War of the outlaws
1296–1357 Wars of Scottish Independence
1298 Battle of Göllheim
14th century
Battle of Sluys, 1340
Battle of Nájera, 1367
1307 Battle of Lucka
1311–1312 Rebellion of wójt Albert
1312 Battle of Rozgony
1321–1322 Despenser War
1321–1328 Byzantine civil war of 1321–1328
1323–1328 Peasant revolt in Flanders
1324 War of Saint-Sardos
1326–1332 Polish–Teutonic War
1333–1338 Burke Civil War
1337–1453 Hundred Years' War
1340–1392 Galicia–Volhynia Wars
1340–1396 Bulgarian–Ottoman Wars
1341–1347 Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347
1342–1350 Zealot's Rebellion
1343–1345 St. George's Night Uprising
1347–1352 Neapolitan campaigns of Louis the Great
1350–1498 Wars of the Vetkopers and Schieringers
1356–1358 Jacquerie
1356–1375 War of the Two Peters
1362 Battle of Helsingborg
1362–1457 War of the Bands
1366–1369 Castilian Civil War
1366–1526 Ottoman–Hungarian Wars
1369–1370 First Ferdinand War
1371 Battle of Baesweiler
1371–1379 War of the Succession of Guelders
1371–1381 War of Chioggia
1372–1373 Second Ferdinand War
1373–1379 Byzantine civil war of 1373–1379
1375 Gugler War
1375–1378 War of the Eight Saints
1381 Peasants' Revolt
1381–1382 Third Ferdinand War
1381–1384 Lithuanian Civil War
1382 Harelle and Maillotins Revolt
1389 Battle of Kosovo
1389–1392 Lithuanian Civil War
1395 Battle of Nicopolis
15th century
Battle of Formigny, 1450
1400–1415 Glyndŵr Rising
1401–1429 Appenzell Wars
1409–1411 Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War
1410–1435 War of Slesvig
1414 Hunger War
1419–1434 Hussite Wars
1422 Gollub War
1422 Battle of Arbedo
1425–1454 Wars in Lombardy
1431–1435 Polish–Teutonic War
1434–1436 Engelbrekt rebellion
1437 Budai Nagy Antal Revolt
1438–1556 Russo-Kazan Wars
1440–1446 Old Zürich War
1443–1444 Long campaign
1445 First Battle of Olmedo
1447–1448 Albanian–Venetian War
1449–1450 First Margrave War
1449 Battle of Castione
1449–1453 Revolt of Ghent
1450 Cade's Rebellion
1451–1455 Navarrese Civil War
1453–1454 Morea revolt
1454–1466 Thirteen Years' War
1455–1485 Wars of the Roses
1462–1485 Rebellion of the Remences
1462–1472 Catalonian Civil War
1463–1479 Ottoman–Venetian War
1465 Battle of Montlhéry
1465–1468 Liège Wars
1466–1469 Irmandiño Wars
1467 Second Battle of Olmedo
1467–1479 War of the Priests
1468 Waldshut War
1468–1478 Bohemian War
1470–1471 Dano-Swedish War
1470–1474 Anglo-Hanseatic War
1475–1479 War of the Castilian Succession
1477–1488 Austrian-Hungarian War (1477–1488)
1478 Carinthian peasant revolt
1478 Battle of Giornico
1479 Battle of Guinegate
1482–1484 War of Ferrara
1484 Battle of Lochmaben Fair
1485–1488 Mad War
1487 Battle of Crevola
1487 War of Rovereto
1488 Battle of Sauchieburn
1492–1583 Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars
1494–1498 Italian War of 1494–1498
1495–1497 Russo-Swedish War
1497 Cornish Rebellion of 1497
1497 Battle of Rotebro
1499 Swabian War
1499–1504 Italian War of 1499–1504
16th century
Battle of Marignano, 1515
Siege of Narva, 1558
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, 1572
c. 1500–1854 Lekianoba
1502–1543 Guelderian Wars
1503–1505 Landshut War of Succession
1508–1516 War of the League of Cambrai
1509–1510 Polish–Moldavian War
1514 Poor Conrad's Rebellion
1514 Dózsa rebellion
1514–1517 Saxon feud
1515 Slovenian peasant revolt
1515–1523 Frisian peasant rebellion
1519–1521 Polish–Teutonic War
1520–1521 Revolt of the Comuneros
1521–1523 Revolt of the Brotherhoods
1521–1523 Swedish War of Liberation
1521–1718 Ottoman-Habsburg wars
1522–1523 Knights' Revolt
1522–1559 Habsburg-Valois Wars
1524–1525 German Peasants' War
1526 Revolt of Espadán
1529 First War of Kappel
1531 Second War of Kappel
1534 Silken Thomas Rebellion
1534–1535 Münster Rebellion
1534–1536 Count's Feud
1536–1537 Pilgrimage of Grace
1540 Salt War
1542–1543 Dacke War
1543–1550 War of the Rough Wooing
1546–1547 Schmalkaldic War
1549 Kett's Rebellion
1549 Prayer Book Rebellion
1550 Battle of Sauðafell
1552–1555 Second Margrave War
1554 Wyatt's rebellion
1554–1557 Russo-Swedish War
1558–1583 Livonian War
1560 Siege of Leith
1562–1598 French Wars of Religion
1563–1570 Northern Seven Years' War
1568–1570 Morisco Revolt
1568–1648 Eighty Years' War
1569–1570 Rising of the North
1569–1573 First Desmond Rebellion
1573 Croatian–Slovenian peasant revolt
1579–1583 Second Desmond Rebellion
1580–1583 War of the Portuguese Succession
1583–1588 Cologne War
1585–1604 Anglo-Spanish War
1587–1588 War of the Polish Succession
1590–1595 Russo-Swedish War
1593–1606 Long War
1593–1617 Moldavian Magnate Wars
1594–1603 Nine Years' War (Ireland)
1595–1621 Magnate wars in Moldavia
1596–1597 Cudgel War
1598–1599 War against Sigismund
17th century
Siege of Breda, 1624
Action at La Hogue, 1692
1602 Savoyard escalade of Geneva
1605–1618 Polish–Muscovite War
1606–1607 Bolotnikov Rebellion
1606–1608 Zebrzydowski Rebellion
1610–1617 Ingrian War
1611–1613 Kalmar War
1615–1618 Uskok War
1618–1648 Thirty Years' War
1618–1639 Bündner Wirren
1620–1621 Polish–Ottoman War
1625 Zhmailo Uprising
1627–1629 Anglo–French War
1628–1631 War of the Mantuan Succession
1630 Fedorovych Uprising
1632–1634 Smolensk War
1637 Pawluk Uprising
1638 Ostrzanin Uprising
1639–1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms
1640–1688 Portuguese Restoration War
1648–1657 Khmelnytsky Uprising
1651 Kostka-Napierski Uprising
1652–1674 Anglo-Dutch Wars
1653 Swiss peasant war of 1653
1654 First Bremian War
1654–1667 Russo–Polish War
1658–1659 Russo-Ukrainian War
1655–1660 Second Northern War
1656 War of Villmergen
1663–1664 Austro–Turkish War
1666 Second Bremian War
1666–1671 Polish–Cossack–Tatar War
1667–1668 War of Devolution
1670–1671 Razin's Rebellion
1672 First Kuruc Uprising
1672–1678 Franco-Dutch War
1672–1673 Second Genoese-Savoyard War
1679 Covenanter Rebellion
1683–1684 War of the Reunions
1683–1699 Great Turkish War
1685 Monmouth Rebellion
1688–1697 War of the League of Augsburg
1689–1692 First Jacobite Rising
18th century
Battle of Denain, 1712
Battle of Fontenoy, 1745
Great Siege of Gibraltar, 1779–83
1700 Lithuanian Civil War
1700–1721 Great Northern War
1701–1713 War of the Spanish Succession
1703–1711 Rákóczi's War for Independence
1707–1708 Bulavin Rebellion
1712 Toggenburg war
1714–1718 Ottoman–Venetian War
1715–1716 Jacobite rising of 1715
1716–1718 Austro–Turkish War
1718–1720 War of the Quadruple Alliance
1722–1723 Russo–Persian War
1727–1729 Anglo–Spanish War
1733–1738 War of the Polish Succession
1735–1739 Russo–Turkish War
1737–1739 Austro-Turkish War
1740–1748 War of the Austrian Succession
1740–1763 Silesian Wars
1741–1743 Russo–Swedish War
1745–1746 Jacobite rising of 1745
1756–1763 Seven Years' War
1763–1864 Russian–Circassian War
1768–1772 War of the Bar Confederation
1768–1774 Russo–Turkish War
1770 Orlov Revolt
1774–1775 Pugachev's Rebellion
1775–1782 American Revolutionary War (European theatre)
1778–1779 War of the Bavarian Succession
1784 Kettle War
1784–1785 Revolt of Horea, Cloșca and Crișan
1787 Dutch Patriot Revolt
1787–1791 Austro–Turkish War
1787–1792 Russo–Turkish War
1790 Saxon Peasants' Revolt
1792 Polish–Russian War of 1792
1792–1802 French Revolutionary Wars
1794 Kościuszko Uprising
1795 Battle of Krtsanisi
1798 Irish Rebellion of 1798
1798 Peasants' War
19th century
Battle of Marengo, 1800
Napoléon at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805)
Battle of Akhalzic (1828)
Napoleon III at the Battle of Solferino (1859)
The Sea Battle of Lissa, 1868
1803 Irish Rebellion of 1803
1803 Souliote War
1803–1815 Napoleonic Wars
1804–1813 First Serbian Uprising
1804–1813 Russo–Persian War
1809 Polish-Austrian War
1815–1817 Second Serbian Uprising
1817–1864 Russian conquest of the Caucasus
1821–1832 Greek War of Independence
1821 Wallachian uprising of 1821
1823 French invasion of Spain
1826–1828 Russo–Persian War
1827 War of the Malcontents
1828–1829 Russo-Turkish War
1828–1834 Liberal Wars
1830 Ten Days Campaign (following the Belgian Revolt)
1830–1831 November Uprising
1831 Canut revolts
1831–1832 Great Bosnian uprising
1831–1836 Tithe War
1832 War in the Vendée and Chouannerie of 1832
1832 June Rebellion
1833–1839 First Carlist War
1833–1839 Albanian Revolts of 1833–1839
1843–1844 Albanian Revolt of 1843–1844
1846 Galician slaughter
1846–1849 Second Carlist War
1847 Albanian Revolt of 1847
1847 Sonderbund War
1848–1849 Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence
1848–1851 First Schleswig War
1848–1866 Wars of Italian Independence
1848–1849 First Italian Independence War
1859 Second Italian War of Independence
1866 Third Italian War of Independence
1854 Epirus Revolt of 1854
1854–1856 Crimean War
1858 Mahtra War
1863–1864 January Uprising
1864 Second Schleswig War
1866 Austro-Prussian War
1866–1869 Cretan Revolt
1867 Fenian Rising
1870–1871 Franco-Prussian War
1872–1876 Third Carlist War
1873–1874 Cantonal Revolution
1877–1878 Russo–Turkish War
1878 Epirus Revolt of 1878
1885 Serbo-Bulgarian War
1893–1896 Cod War of 1893
1897 Greco–Turkish War
20th century
Explosion of the Hawthorn Ridge mine, 1 July 1916,
marked the beginning of the Battle of the Somme.
Republican International Brigadiers at the Battle of Belchite, 1937
German Stuka dive bombers in the Eastern Front (World War II) 1941–45
A Soviet IS-2 tank in Leipzig during the 1953 East Germany Uprising
Icelandic patrol ship ICGV Odinn and British frigate HMS Scylla clash during the Third Cod War
UN troops on their way up "Sniper Alley" in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War
A Russian helicopter downed by Chechen militants, during the First Chechen War
The Russian Army's Vostok Battalion in South Ossetia
1903 Ilinden Uprising
1904–1908 Macedonian Struggle
1905 Łódź insurrection
1907 1907 Romanian Peasants' Revolt
1910 Albanian Revolt of 1910
1911–1912 Italo-Turkish War
1912–1913 Balkan Wars
1912–1913 First Balkan War
1913 Second Balkan War
1914 Peasant Revolt in Albania
1914–1918 World War I
1916 Easter Rising
1917–1921 Russian Civil War
1917–1921 Ukrainian–Soviet War
1918 Finnish Civil War
1918 Polish-Czech war for Teschen Silesia
1918–1919 Polish-Ukrainian War
1918–1919 Greater Poland Uprising
1918–1920 Estonian Liberation War
1918–1920 Latvian War of Independence
1919 Hungarian–Romanian War of 1919
1919 Christmas Uprising
1919–1922 Greco–Turkish War
1919–1923 Turkish War of Independence
1919–1920 Czechoslovakia-Hungary War
1919–1921 Silesian Uprisings
1919–1921 Polish-Soviet War
1919–1922 Irish War of Independence
1920 Polish–Lithuanian War
1920 Vlora War
1921 Uprising in West Hungary
1922–1923 Irish Civil War
1934 Asturian miners' strike of 1934
1934 Austrian Civil War
1936–1939 Spanish Civil War
1939 Slovak-Hungarian War
1939 Occupation of Zakarpattia Oblast by Hungary
1939–1940 Winter War (Soviet invasion of Finland)
1939–1945 World War II
Today, the nations of the European Union are at peace and continue to promote peace in the world.
By contrast, the War in Afghanistan has been going on since I graduated from high school - 34 years!
The War in Pakistan for 8 years, and most recently Syria, Libya, Iraq, Lebanon. Can you imagine a day when these countries have formed a union, share a currency, work together to promote peace, democracy and human rights? It could happen.
So I say again "it's about time" that the EU is recognized for decades of promoting peace, economic progress in a diverse region once at war, where there was plenty of bloodshed for centuries.
Despite the current economic strife (which, btw, is global - not just European), I am amazed that 27 completely different countries have managed to come together as one.
If you have another 3 minutes . . .
In the words of President Barroso "these values of freedom, democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights, are the ones that people all over the world aspire to".
So, congratulations. Congratulations.
Maybe there's still hope for the rest of the world.
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