By: Jessica Pachak

Over the past several weeks, the world has heard a variety of reactions to the recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize to our very own President Barack Obama, but the one that stands out the most is the skeptical response of “What has he done to deserve it?” And, honestly, what has President Obama accomplished? This is a good question and one that merits thought and understanding, so let’s think about it.

Did the Nobel committee award Obama the Peace Prize solely because he is not George Bush? If they did, does it really matter? In the last eight years global opinion of the United States has plummeted, we got involved in two wars, and the global economy began to fail. The facts are simple: George W. Bush caused complete chaos and disaster in the world, and President Obama is trying to minimize the damage and repair the world. The public often vastly underestimates the challenges that come with being President. In the United States, we elected an African-American to office – this is progress. We are closer than ever to universal health care in the United States – this is progress. Flavored tobacco has been made illegal in order to help keep children from smoking – this is progress.

The Nobel committee acknowledges this progress and wants it to continue. In fact, they said they honored Obama for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” In response Obama said he was “humbled” and considers the decision a “call to action” more than recognition of his accomplishments. There have not been many leaders who can capture the attention and affection of the whole world in addition to giving humanity hope for a better and brighter future for everyone.

Obama believes he does not deserve to be among the past Nobel Peace Prize winners, but he wants to push toward a broad range of international objectives like nuclear nonproliferation, a resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and a solution to global poverty and hunger problems. The Nobel Peace Prize committee, like any political body in the world, strove to be bolder in its decisions recently in order to make a lasting impact on global politics. In a time when the world needs global leaders more than ever, President Obama and the Nobel committee have stepped up to be the leaders we need to follow and to make the changes we need to see.

President Obama’s incredible and unexpected award should serve as a call to action for the whole world. Each country, government, and individual should take up the cause of peace and justice. We all have the ability, somewhere inside of us, to inspire hope and change in others, it is simply a matter of summoning this call from inside of us and acknowledging the inspiring and optimistic leadership of those around us. President Obama has stirred up more hope in the world than anyone has felt in a long time. He continues to work for equality and to strive for justice, both in the United States and abroad. The fact that the world has chosen to acknowledge his message of hope and support his mission for change shows that already the times are changing and the world is becoming a more positive place. President Obama will earn this award during the next seven years, and we should rally around our leader who, for the first time in quite a while, is a man respected and admired by the world’s citizens and global leaders.