Peace is more than the simple absence of war.  When a country's government oppresses its own citizens — stifling political dissent, persecuting religious practice, and infringing on liberties — it is essentially waging war on its own people.  It is the denial of basic human rights that are the basic of a just waging of war.  Thus, it is fitting that the Nobel Peace Prize was developed, giving a platform from which to honor those that fight for freedom against oppressive tyrannies.  It's winners have included pro-liberty heroes like Aung San Suu Kyi and Lech Walesa as well as civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

Unfortunately, in spite of the tyranny that still exists in places like Cuba, China, Iran, and, increasingly, Venezuela, the Nobel Committee all-too-often chooses to make political statements instead of rewarding activities that actually result in the furthering of the cause of true peace.  Rather than support human rights and freedom, the Nobel Committee admittedly took explicit potshots at the United States and George W. Bush in awarding the 2002 Prize to Jimmy Carter, addressed climate change with the 2007 award to Al Gore and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and chose to honor the fall of Communism and the Iron Curtain by awarding the 1990 Prize to Mikhail Gorbachev — essentially the person who was prodded and pushed into action rather than those who forced his hand, such as Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, or countless dissidents and activists.  Perhaps the silliest such award was 2009's honoring of President Barack Obama — someone who has not even played a minor role in any peacemaking venture of note.

This year, however, the Nobel Committee got it right, if not long overdue.  The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded last week to Chinese dissident and pro-liberty activist Liu Xiaobo "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China."  Liu, who dedicated the prize to the victims of Chinese butchery at Tiananmen Square in 1989, learned of his award in jail — he is serving an 11-year prison sentence for daring to advocate for democracy and liberty in China.  His sentence is based on his authoring and signing of Charter 08, a document that calls for, among other things, freedom of association, assembly, and religion, and protection of private property.

Every year the Nobel Committee should be awarding the Peace Prize to men and women who take real risks to bring peace, justice, and liberties to others.  People like Liu have made sacrifices that most of us could hardly imagine, and honoring these people by name not only advances their cause and uplifts fellow dissidents, but also serves to protect them from the authoritarian governments against which they stand:  it would now be a huge embarrassment to the Chinese government if Liu were to be found beaten or tortured, and this award could even speed up his release from prison. 

Let's hope that the Nobel Committee acts in the future with real substance as they have in 2010.