Gone are the days when the Nobel Peace Prize signified humanity, compassion and morality. In the past the world regarded the prize as the highest seal of moral legitimacy. But in recent decades, questions have emerged- is this award merely a recognition of humanitarian efforts, or has it been reduced to an effective tool to advance global political interest? Relevance of these questions has grabbed spotlight more than ever in relation to the controversial role of Nobel Peace Prize recipients to pursue the geopolitical interests of the United States, abdicating morality. This article will seek answers to these questions in detail-how the US-aligned Nobel Peace Prize winners can sometimes become an alternative for creating “puppet” or subservient leadership, and this discussion will bring in the contexts of Bangladesh, Venezuela, and Myanmar.

Many are drawing parallels between the events in Venezuela and the recent turmoil in Bangladesh. For them, Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been the victim of regime change orchestrated by foreign powers including U.S. Accusations against the U.S. of orchestrating plot to remove Nicolás Maduro and establish a puppet government in Venezuela have been swirling for a long time. In this context, a new discussion has begun regarding the use of the façade of Nobel Peace Prize.

Like Bangladesh’s highly controversial and unelected interim regime leader Dr Muhammad Yunus, who also bagged the prize, Venezuela also has a Nobel Peace Prize laureate-who has not been able to win public mandate in her country. Her name is Maria Corina Machado. Critics claim that the U.S. wants to pave the way for installing a compliant government in Venezuela by helping her win the prize. The truth or falsehood of these claims is not the main point; rather, what is important is how the award has lost its veneer and weaponized for exerting moral pressure in shaping public opinion by western countries.

In this context, the role of Bangladesh’s Yunus has become a perfect test case example. His reign, over the........

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