"The concept of peace in Oslo is that elastic."

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg up for the Nobel Peace Prize? - latimes.com: "There are thousands of people who are eligible to nominate contenders, and it's entirely possible that Zuckerberg was nominated.

Also, keep in mind that this was the year of the Arab uprisings, a revolution that some observers say was possible only because of the way online platforms like Facebook and Twitter allowed protesters to connect.

Zuckerberg himself has downplayed Facebook's role in the Arab Spring.

"It would be extremely arrogant for any specific technology company to claim any meaningful role," he said at the e-G8 summit in Paris earlier this year. "The thing that was both necessary and sufficient was a population of people who felt very strongly that change needed to happen."

But perhaps that humility makes him all the more ... Nobel?

National Review writer Jay Nordlinger, who has a book on the history of the Nobel Peace Prize coming out this March, said it's possible that Zuckerberg could win this year.

"I wouldn't bet on him, but I wouldn't bet against him," he said. He said Zuckerberg would be an "out there" choice, even for the famously eccentric Nobel prize committee."

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This year's Nobel Peace prize winner is "obvious,"..."What are the major forces pushing the world in the right direction?",Thorbjoern Jagland

Nobel Peace Prize "A record 241 nominations — 188 individuals and 53 organizations — were submitted for this year's peace prize. Russian human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina, the secret-spilling group WikiLeaks, and Cuban dissidents are among candidates who have been publicly announced by those who nominated them.

Jagland said the independent, five-member committee decided upon the laureate at its final meeting Friday. But keeping one of the world's biggest annual secrets appeared tough.

Asked if the Arab Spring might be a source of the honoree, he said: "That is one, but there are others too."
Some speculation has centered on the 27-nation European Union, which many consider a peace-building institution. Although Norway is not an EU member, Jagland is a strong supporter of the bloc.

"Yes, of course, but today it's ..." he said, his voice trailing off for 10 seconds of silence before a press handler intervened.

Would it be a big name?

"Not necessarily a big name, but a big mission — something important for the world.""
The Associated Press: AP Interview: Nobel Peace Prize winner 'obvious':

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"I'm not so interested in politics & I don't have much hope of changing society but when u live w/such...even if u don't care..politics will care.."

China urged to release wife of jailed Nobel peace prize laureate | World news | The Guardian: In an interview with the Observer last year, Liu Xia said of her husband: "I'm not so interested in politics and I don't have much hope of changing society… But when you live with such a person, even if you don't care about politics, politics will care about you."......."The fate of his wife has caused particular concern. Liu Xia has been out of contact since a few days after the Nobel committee announced they were awarding her husband the peace prize..... Some thought it might be a temporary measure to prevent her collecting the prize, but she has remained incommunicado and is believed to be under house arrest, although it is thought she has been allowed to see a handful of relatives. Her only known contact with the outside world came in February, when she managed to get online briefly and told a friend that she was miserable, that no one could help her, and that "my whole family are hostages".

"The Chinese government denies there are any restraints on Liu Xia. "

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/04/china-dissident-wife-liu-xia?newsfeed=true

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Karzai to Focus on Governments in Peace Talks, as he said, "The real power to make peace lies with "governments, not their proxies"

Karzai to Focus on Governments in Peace Talks - WSJ.com: "The evolving policy shift emerged after last month's assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former Afghan president who was chosen by Mr. Karzai* to lead peace talks with the Taliban.

Mr. Rabbani was killed in his Kabul home by a purported Taliban emissary who claimed to be carrying a message from top Taliban leaders in Quetta, Pakistan, about their willingness to launch substantive negotiations.

The Afghan government has accused the Taliban of organizing the killing with the aid of Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate. The Pakistani government has rejected the allegations, while the Taliban have declined to confirm or deny their involvement in the assassination.

Since then, the Karzai administration said it will drop its efforts to engage the Pakistan-based Taliban and would instead focus on speaking directly to Pakistan

*Afghan President Hamid Karzai

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"It's important that Afghanistan doesn't burn bridges with Pakistan & the Quetta Shura Taliban, the peace process is important, & needs to be pursued"

Afghanistan Halts Taliban Peace Initiative - WSJ.com: "The U.S. has been actively aiding Mr. Karzai in his efforts to secure a peace deal that could make it easier for America and its allies to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan and end major combat operations within two years. Civilian casualties have risen to record levels this year—2,120 in the first eight months—according to the United Nations, with the Taliban-led insurgency responsible for three-quarters of the deaths and injuries.

The Karzai administration's attempts to pressure Pakistan follow weeks of increased criticism from Washington, where top U.S. officials have accused the ISI of supporting recent attacks on American targets in Afghanistan.

Kabul's new strategy has created concern among some Western officials working in the region who don't want to see the peace process derailed entirely.

"It's important that Afghanistan doesn't burn bridges with Pakistan and the Quetta Shura Taliban," said one Western diplomat in Kabul. "The peace process is important, and needs to be pursued.It is clear that, first and foremost, Pakistan must to do its own share in addressing the sanctuaries and helping Afghanistan and the international community to deal with the insurgency.""

Note:

KABUL—Afghan President Hamid Karzai has decided to suspend efforts to begin direct talks with the Taliban, turning his attention to cutting a deal with Pakistan, officials said, as Kabul alleged on Sunday that the killer of its top peace envoy was a Pakistani. Mr. Karzai, who had made negotiations with the Taliban leadership a top priority, is expected to outline his revised strategy this week in a nationally televised address, as he looks for new ways to bring a decade of war to an end. (pls click link above for complete article)
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Israelis and Palestinians were told to restart direct talks and try to reach a settlement by the end of next year

Pushing on for Mideast peace - The Washington Post: "The Palestinian statehood bid appears to have resulted in a very wise decision on the part of the United Nations [“Major powers push for new Mideast talks,” news story, Sept. 26]. The Israelis and Palestinians were told to restart direct talks and try to reach a settlement by the end of next year.

The two parties have given assurances that they want a peaceful settlement and that they are willing to consider a two-state solution. Both have declared in no uncertain terms what they want and what they are unwilling to consider. Since the conditions they have put on the table are irreconcilable, some compromise will be necessary. Both parties will have to give up some of their demands."

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West Philippine Sea forum scheduled | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online

West Philippine Sea forum scheduled | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online: "The Carlos P. Romulo Foundation for Peace and Development (CPR), in collaboration with the Institute of South East Asian Studies, Singapore (ISEAS) will host a "by invitation only" forum on West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) on October 17 in Manila.

At least 23 notable former officials and authorities from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member-countries, China, Australia, India, Canada, the United States, and Europe are expected to attend.

In a statement, CPR Foundation chair Roberto R. Romulo noted that tensions between claimants to the potentially oil-rich waters and land features of the South China Sea, where also a quarter of the world's shipping passes, has risen to potentially dangerous levels with incidents involving China, the Philippines and Vietnam in recent months.

“All claimants agree that the disputes should be resolved through peaceful means, including dialogue, although progress has been slow,” said Romulo."

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