Washington: The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize today (October 10). One person dominates speculation. US President Donald Trump has claimed a central role in ending seven wars and positioning himself as a mediator in an eighth.
Trump’s announcement of Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks comes after unveiling a 20-point peace plan last week. He claims that this plan paved the way for the truce.
He told the United Nations General Assembly in September, “Everyone says I should get the Nobel Peace Prize. I ended seven wars. No president or prime minister has ever done anything close to that.”
The conflicts he references include Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, India and Pakistan, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia and Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Some ceasefires involve his direct participation, while others are disputed. Analysts acknowledge that in some cases, parties credit him for mediation efforts.
Trump claims he deserves recognition for the Gaza ceasefire. The two-year deadly war between Israel and Hamas moved toward resolution after his pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Critics highlight that US military support for Israel has been critical during the war.
In June, Trump brokered a ceasefire between Iran and Israel after the Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. He ordered US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, while Tehran retaliated by hitting the largest US military base in the Middle East in Qatar.
The US president also claims to have helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May, after aerial attacks on each other’s bases. Pakistan credited his intervention, but India did not acknowledge a US role.
Cambodia and Thailand reached a truce in August after Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim coordinated with Chinese negotiators. Cambodia has expressed gratitude.
Kosovo and Serbia signed a deal under Trump in 2020. Tensions remain, but no full-scale war has erupted since his return to office.
Trump’s peace efforts include a June deal between Rwanda and the DRC. The ceasefire is fragile. Egypt and Ethiopia had no active war, but the US president claims involvement in easing tensions over the Nile dam dispute.
In August, Trump oversaw a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He later misidentified countries in an interview, claiming to have mediated between Azerbaijan and Albania.
It won’t be a surprise if President Trump will be awarded this year’s peace prize despite the fact that he has not so far made a substantial enough contribution to peace to win the prize. While he deserves credit for his efforts to end the war in Gaza, it is too early to tell whether the peace proposal will be implemented and lead to lasting peace.
Trump compares his foreign policy record with former US President Barack Obama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. “If I were named Obama, I would have had the Nobel Prize given to me in 10 seconds,” he said.
He has also been a military actor. He ordered strikes on Iran, Somalia, Yemen and the Caribbean. He has threatened to annex Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal.
The Nobel Peace Prize aims to honour work for peace and fraternity between nations. Past winners illustrate flexibility.
Political scientist and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger won in 1973 despite bombing campaigns in Cambodia. Shimon Peres shared the prize in 1994 but had a military background in the Suez War. Aung San Suu Kyi won in 1991 and faced later criticism over the Rohingya crisis. Barack Obama’s 2009 prize faced scrutiny for being premature.
Trump’s candidacy is supported by international leaders. Israeli PM Netanyahu nominated him in July. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet endorsed him in August. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also nominated him jointly.
Within the United States, Steve Witkoff called Trump “the single finest candidate” for the prize. US Representative Buddy Carter and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla also endorsed him.
Nominations after July 31 will count for 2026. Pakistan has nominated Trump for next year. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has not commented on Trump’s candidacy.
The US president warned about the consequences of not winning. “It would be a big insult to America. They will give it to some guy that did not do a damn thing … they will give it to the guy who wrote a book about the mind of Donald Trump,” he said.
Norway’s government clarified that it does not influence the prize. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eid said, “It is simply up to the Nobel Committee. It is important to remember that it is an independent committee.”
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will test the boundaries of recognition and controversy. Trump claims a historic role in ending wars. Experts say his record requires scrutiny. The world will watch on October 10.