Obama for Peace!

For what? This was my first thought, when I heard that Barack Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I couldn't seem to remember any significant effort for peace by the US president, or any ground breaking event that he had been responsible for.

I read the official announcement of the Nobel committee, and yes, I agree that seeking nuclear disarmament is radical and multilateral diplomacy is good, but awarding Obama the prize now still seemed premature.

So I asked myself "why would a Norwegian committee award Obama a prize to be handed out in Oslo?" And then it was completely clear to me. The Norwegians are envious of Denmark! Obama has already visited Copenhagen this month for the IOC conference and may (just maybe) be coming back in December for the climate conference.

Anybody witnessing the media and security frenzy of Obama's first visit to Copenhagen, will know how significant it is for a small country to receive a visit by a sitting US president. Suddenly Denmark felt what we already knew their hearts, that we were the center of the world and that all eyes were fixed on us.

Now, just to spoil our moment in the spotlight, Obama will be flying to Oslo to accept their little prize, and the Norwegians will get theirs!