Published 13 October 2009 · Main Posts blessed is the colt peacemaker Jeff Sparrow Yesterday, in an article for Crikey, I commented on (what seemed to me) an astonishing suggestion in Time magazine that the Nobel Peace Prize should have been awarded to nuclear weapons. Let me repeat. A. Peace. Prize. For. Nuclear. Fucking. Weapons. Today, I discover in the New York Times that Thomas Friedman thinks that the prize should have been accepted on behalf of the US military, including those occupying Iraq (where more than a million people have been killed) and Afghanistan (where 1500 civilians died last year). What remains to be said anymore? Roll out the next column: freedom is slavery; ignorance is strength, etc, etc. Jeff Sparrow Jeff Sparrow is a writer, editor, broadcaster and Walkley award-winning journalist. He is a former columnist for Guardian Australia, a former Breakfaster at radio station 3RRR, and a past editor of Overland. His most recent book is a collaboration with Sam Wallman called Twelve Rules for Strife (Scribe). He works at the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne. More by Jeff Sparrow › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 20 March 20262 April 2026 · Main Posts Final results of the 2025 Judith Wright Poetry Prize Editorial team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize seeks outstanding poetry from new and emerging writers. This year’s judges, Shastra Deo, Harry Reid and […] 20 March 202620 March 2026 · Main Posts Final results of the 2025 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize Editorial team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize seeks outstanding original short fiction of up to 3000 words themed loosely around the notion […]
