2009 Nobel Peace Prize

2009 Nobel Peace Prize
Pete Souza · CC BY 3.0 · source
Name	Nobel Peace Prize
Year	2009
Caption	The Nobel Peace Prize medal awarded in 2009.
Date	9 October 2009
Location	Oslo
Country	Norway
Presenter	Norwegian Nobel Committee
Reward	10 million SEK
Winner	Barack Obama
Previous	2008
Next	2010
Main	Nobel Peace Prize

2009 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," with particular emphasis on his vision for a world without nuclear weapons and his outreach to the Muslim world. The announcement, made just nine months into his first term, was met with widespread surprise and sparked intense global debate about the relationship between promise and achievement in international affairs.

Award announcement and reaction

The announcement was made on 9 October 2009 by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Thorbjørn Jagland, at the Nobel Institute in Oslo. The decision was characterized as a proactive endorsement of Obama's administration's stated foreign policy goals, including multilateral engagement and nuclear disarmament. International reaction was sharply divided, with leaders like Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom offering congratulations, while many political commentators and former laureates expressed skepticism. In the United States, reactions ranged from pride among supporters to derision from political opponents, including figures like Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich, who viewed the award as premature.

Laureate: Barack Obama

Barack Obama had taken office in January 2009 following his victory in the 2008 United States presidential election against John McCain. Key early foreign policy actions referenced by the Committee included a landmark speech in Prague calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons, diplomatic overtures to Iran and the Arab world from Cairo, and a shift in strategy regarding the War in Afghanistan. His administration was also engaged in efforts to restart the Israeli–Palestinian peace process and had pledged to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Obama accepted the award in December 2009 during a ceremony at Oslo City Hall, delivering a speech that grappled with the concept of "just war" in the context of ongoing conflicts like those in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Nomination and selection process

Nominations for the prize closed on 1 February 2009, just eleven days after Obama's inauguration. The Committee received a record 205 nominations that year, encompassing 33 organizations. While the deliberations of the Norwegian Nobel Committee remain secret for fifty years, it is known that Obama was nominated by, among others, Norwegian parliamentarian Geir Lundestad. The five-member committee, led by Thorbjørn Jagland, ultimately selected Obama from a shortlist that reportedly included Chinese dissident Hu Jia and Afghanistani human rights activist Simone Simmons. The choice was interpreted as a symbolic encouragement for a new direction in American foreign policy following the presidency of George W. Bush.

Controversies and criticism

The award provoked significant controversy, becoming one of the most debated decisions in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize. Critics, including previous laureates like Lech Wałęsa of Poland and Desmond Tutu of South Africa, argued it was awarded for aspirations rather than concrete accomplishments. Many noted the irony of honoring a commander-in-chief overseeing two active wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the subsequent escalation of the War in Afghanistan known as the surge. The Committee itself faced scrutiny, with allegations that the choice was politically motivated to influence global politics or was an expression of European anti-Bush sentiment. Obama acknowledged this tension in his acceptance speech, stating he felt the award was "a call to action."

Impact and legacy

The 2009 prize had a lasting impact on the perception of the Nobel Peace Prize itself, intensifying debates about its criteria and timing. It placed immense early symbolic pressure on the Obama administration's foreign policy agenda, against which his subsequent record on issues like Guantanamo, drone strikes, and the Libyan Civil War (2011) was often measured. Historically, it is frequently cited in discussions about awards given to sitting political leaders, alongside prizes for figures like Henry Kissinger and Yasser Arafat. The decision remains a focal point for analyzing the interplay between international hope, diplomatic rhetoric, and tangible geopolitical outcomes in the early 21st century.

Category:Nobel Peace Prize by year Category:2009 awards Category:Barack Obama