US President Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2009. According to the Nobel Committee Obama won the prize for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. Obama’s efforts for nuclear disarmament were well appreciated.
There was widespread surprise at the committee’s decision. Many people were skeptical and commented that the decision had come too soon, even before Obama had made any concrete foreign policy achievement. The Nobel laureate chosen by a five-member committee wins a gold medal, a diploma, and 10 million Swedish kronor (US$1.4million). According to the Nobel committee, the reason why prize was awarded to Obama less than a year after he took office was that the Nobel committee wanted to support what he was trying to achieve. Obama’s efforts to transform the world into a nuclear free planet were noticed by the Nobel committee. French president Nicolas Sarkozy said the award confirmed that America’s return to the hearts of the people of the world.