A safe bet for freedom: Why the Nobel committee chose María Corina Machado for the peace prize

When the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced María Corina Machado as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, it was both surprise and relief. In a year when US President Donald Trump had been openly campaigning for the same honor, and when democracy itself seems to be in retreat, the choice of a Venezuelan opposition leader was both safe and smart. It avoided political confrontation while reaffirming the prize’s symbolic defense of democratic ideals.

Few awards in the world are as political, or as carefully apolitical, as the Nobel Peace Prize. Its credibility lies in being seen as a moral compass in a chaotic world. Yet every year, it faces the same dilemma: how to honor courage without inflaming controversy.

This year, that dilemma was sharper than ever. Trump had been publicly demanding the prize, with the leaders of Israel and Pakistan enthusiastically endorsing his name. Awarding it to him would have dragged the Nobel Committee into the heart of a global political storm. By choosing Machado, a woman who has spent decades standing up to Venezuela’s authoritarian regime and living in hiding, the committee sidestepped that trap while still making a statement about freedom, democracy, and courage under repression.

María Corina Machado embodies...

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