Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 9, 2009 1:20PM

Photo by Pete Souza/White House

President Obama became the third sitting President to win the Nobel Prize for Peace. Obama was awarded the honor for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

The Nobel committee specifically cited Obama's election as creating "a new climate in international politics," his outreach to Muslim nations, a return to multilateral diplomacy and use of the United Nations to the world stage as determining factors for the prize, which can (and most likely will) be seen by some as a rebuke of the policies of former President George W. Bush.

Some expressed surprise and shock at Obama's win, as he was in office less than two weeks before the nomination deadline. Others acknowledge that Obama was awarded for the prize for an agenda that has not yet produced concrete results. Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said of Obama, "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future."

Jagland added, "Obama's appeal that 'Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."