Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

In a move that shocked the world, the Nobel Prize committee in Oslo awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama, only a scant nine months after Mr. Obama took office. The Nobel committee has never been universally praised for its decisions, but this year’s Peace Prize recipient has stirred up passionate discussions around the world.

According to the committee, the prize was awarded after asking the question of “Who has done the most in the previous year to enhance peace in the world?” The committee justified its decision by citing the examples of the speeches Mr. Obama has given with record numbers in attendance.

Mr. Obama is not the first US President to win the prize. The honor has also been awarded to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, and Woodrow Wilson. The reason for shock by many comes by way of the timing of the Peace prize. Critics of Mr. Obama claim this award only justifies policies and actions of the second Bush administration. Others viewed it as a denouncement of those policies and hopes for reversals under the Obama administration.

In a speech acknowledging the honor, Mr. Obama announced that he was humbled and surprised by the award, saying he viewed it as an “affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.” While Mr. Obama’s award seems premature to some of his critics, other award winners have won for accomplishments they were working towards.

Nelson Mandela won in 1984 for his anti apartheid work, but apartheid was not eradicated in South Africa until 1994. The Dalai Lama won, despite the fact that the goals he was seeking to accomplish have not been done yet. While the world is yet to see what will come of the Obama presidency, the early Nobel win remains evidence of the world reaction to the Obama election.

While critics and supporters of Mr. Obama alike have decried the award, the justification for the award may soon be acknowledged. The Nobel Peace Prize is different from the rest of the prizes awarded by the Nobel committee. The Peace Prize has never been the kind of Nobel given out for Chemistry or Medicine; it is on given to those making an effort, rather than one whose accomplishments have already been done. And in Mr. Obama’s case, what better award than the one named for Peace, to be given to someone who ran and won on a theme of Hope.