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Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the Chinese democracy activist Liu Xiaobo was received well internationally, but also raised a fair amount of criticism. Even if giving the peace prize to a democracy activist is more in line with Alfred Nobel's original intent than giving it to an environmentalist, Mr. Xiaobo is also undermining the Chinese stability and therefore threatening the country's internal peace. Some critics have also argued that the Nobel committee went again after a popular media personality, whose selection is not going to change the direction of a large populous country. Another problem is that the Nobel peace prize committee consists of Norwegian politicians and therefore the award is often seen as an extension of Norwegian foreign policy. L. Pitkaniemi

A review essay covering books by: 1) Bill Rolston, Children of the Revolution - The Lives of Sons and Daughters of Activists in Northern Ireland (2011); 2) Ed Moloney, Voices From the Grave (2010).

Discusses how the role of diplomats has changed remarkably since the early 1980's and how this change was accelerated by the fall of the Soviet Union and the expansion of the internet. Back in the 1980s, a diplomat had to understand French and spent most of his time as an observer with an ambassador plenipotentiary. In 2010, the diplomat seldom dresses in a suit and carries often an activist role between private parties and governments. L. Pitkaniemi