By: Mawaiz Khan Akash
Barack Obama is less than nine months into his presidency, yet has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts towards restoring international relations around the world. While some people agree that Obama has made significant strides during his presidency, some critics argue that the Nobel Prize was not yet earned by the new President.

According to the Nobel committee, the prize was awarded for "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," leaving most to assume the award was given for promises and efforts rather than for accomplishments. US politicians on both sides immediately began arguing that Obama won for his speeches instead of his actions and still others argue that the award was given as a gesture of rejection towards Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush.

The Nobel committee, however, argues that the award was given based on Obama's efforts to restore diplomacy and work towards nuclear disarmament so soon into his presidency. Thorbjorn Jagland, the Nobel committee chairman adds to this, stating that the Nobel Prize is awarded to the individual "who has done the most in the previous year to enhance peace in the world" and that Obama's efforts have shown his strength towards peace.

Obama was surprised to receive the award and immediately expressed his response as being "deeply humbled." He continued his response in the Rose Garden at the White House saying "I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize, men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace."

Obama also said he would accept the award as a "call to action." and as an encouragement for all nations to continue the pursuit of peace into the next century. He will travel to Oslo on December 10 to accept the prize of $1.4 million, all of which will be donated to charity according to White House officials.

Politicians in Washington have mixed feelings about the award. Many republicans, for example, expressed their disbelief by trying to portray Obama as unworthy of the prize. Like others, their arguments questioned what the president had actually accomplished during his presidency.

Despite the opposition, however, supporters of the prize argue that not only does it show what Obama has accomplished with his words around the world, but how the world views the new leader. Nicolas Sarkozy, for example, said the award marks "America's return to the hearts of the world's people." Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, agreed, saying the prize is "an incentive to the president and to us all" to work harder towards peace.

White House officials first heard the news in an email around five in the morning titled "item of interest." Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary woke Obama with a telephone call shortly before 6am to share the news.

In addition to their praise of Obama's work towards peace, the Nobel committee also said that "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. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and the attitudes that are shared by the majority of the worlds's population."

The only other US Presidents to receive the award while in office were Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Roosevelt won it in 1906 for negotiating the end of the war between Japan and Russia and Wilson won in 1919 for the Treaty of Versailles.  mawaiz.khan@businessmonitorpk.com