2009 Nobel Peace Prize

2009 Nobel Peace Prize
Barack Obama
"for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
Date
LocationOslo, Norway
Presented byNorwegian Nobel Committee
Reward(s)10 million SEK ($1.5M)
WebsiteOfficial website
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The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to United States President Barack Obama (b. 1961) for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".[1] The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award on October 9, 2009, citing Obama's promotion of nuclear nonproliferation[2] and a "new climate" in international relations fostered by Obama, especially in reaching out to the Muslim world.[3][4]

The Nobel Committee's decision drew mixed reactions from US commentators and editorial writers across the political spectrum, as well as from the rest of the world.

Obama accepted the prize in Oslo on December 10, 2009. In a 36-minute speech, he discussed the tensions between war and peace and the idea of a "just war"[5] saying, "perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the commander-in-chief of the military of a nation in the midst of two wars."[6]

Obama is the fourth president of the United States to have won the Nobel Peace Prize (after Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter, with Carter's honor happening after leaving office).

  1. ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 2009". Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on October 10, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  2. ^ "Obama wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize". BBC News Online. October 9, 2009. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  3. ^ Erlanger, Steven (October 9, 2009). "Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  4. ^ "Obama Wins Nobel for Peace". The Saturday Evening Post. October 10, 2009. Archived from the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  5. ^ Zeleny, Jeff (December 10, 2009). "Accepting Peace Prize, Obama Evokes 'Just War'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  6. ^ "Obama acceptance speech transcript". December 10, 2009. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2009.