President Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

Democratic nominee for President of the United States Sen. Barak Obama delivers his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Aug. 28, 2008. Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Friday. (CU Independent file/William Drumm)

President Barack Obama is the newest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

According to the Associated Press, the Norwegian Nobel committee announced its decision on Friday morning to hand Obama the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. The decision was made in part in order to encourage his efforts at nuclear disarmament and to smooth tensions in the Middle East.

Nominations for the prize were due Feb. 1, only 12 days after Obama was sworn in as president.

In the UMC, students had mixed reactions upon hearing that Obama had won the prize.

Sophomore integrative physiology and psychology major Kary Rattiner, 19, said that “it’s kind of up in the air,” as to whether Obama will prove worthy of the award.

“I don’t think he’s done much,” Rattiner said. “I think he’s trying to fix the country’s problems before he starts going worldwide.”

Sophomore MCD biology major Jillian Warner, 19, was of a similar mind.

“I think it’s probably a bit too early to judge whether or not his policies will make an effect . . . he just needs to carry it out,” Warner said.

Henrick Dock, 26, a freshman law student who came to CU from Sweden to study, had several reasons why Obama should not have won the award.

“He’s still representing the world’s biggest and one of the most aggressive military powers in the world,” Dock said, adding the that he thought Obama hadn’t accomplished a lot of things yet.

“I like Obama but I think it’s bad,” Dock said. “It’s lowering the worth of the Nobel prize.”

Contact CU Independent News Editor Sam Dieter at [email protected]