As I surf the blogs, I find a lot of people sharing their reactions to President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Some have noted that the nominations were due on February 1st so the prize must either have been based on his campaign or the first few weeks. However, this misses important parts of the process. There were 205 nominations received by February 1st. The nominations are then reviewed, a short list is prepared and “at the beginning of October, the Nobel Committee chooses the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates through a majority vote.“ So President Obama’s work through October would be considered as part of the voting.

Many people have asked, “What has he done to deserve the nomination?” There has not been a peace deal brokered with Iran and the legitimacy of the Iranian President is openly questioned. There is still conflict in the Middle East and many other regions across the world. 1991 Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest and there is not democracy in Myanmar.

In fact, people who embrace conflict are likely to criticize any Nobel Peace laureate and those working for peace are often rejected in their own towns. Yes, I wish that our country had made greater progress towards achieving peace, but I think it is appropriate to honor President Obama for his efforts.

My initial thoughts were that it is the same old “America Haters” that were ranting so much about the honor our President and our country has received. These are the people that are more interested in seeing President Obama fail than in seeing anything good happen for our country. Yet as I thought more about it, it appears that there is a much more important underlying theme.

In his inaugural address, President Obama said,

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

It is this willingness to extend a hand to an unclenched fist, instead of a preemptive strike that may be the real reason President Obama has received this recognition. It may be this same willingness that has caused so much gnashing of teeth by some of President Obama’s opponents, and it may be the willingness to reach out even to Muslims that is making a big difference while at the same time is so infuriating to those who opposed ever reaching out to Muslims.

The last sitting U.S. President to receive the Nobel Peace Prize was Woodrow Wilson for his efforts to build a League of Nations. It may well be that President Obama will not be any more successful that President Wilson was but I believe that it is noble to honor those Presidents who work so hard for international relations that seek to bring about a more peaceful world.