Today, in a stunning decision, President Barack Obama was announced as the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples.”
Obama’s win comes as a shock to many observers. Indeed, the Nobel nomination deadline was February 1, less than two weeks after Obama’s presidency began. The President, moreover, has only been in office for nine months.
Obama may yet bring peace to the world, but thus far his policies are untested. Meanwhile, the following people were passed over: Sima Samar, a women’s rights activist in Afghanistan; Dr. Denis Mukwege, a man dedicated to helping Congolese victims of violence; and Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging China’s government to reform. To read more about these and the other nominees, click here.
