The award of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama has stirred up criticism and skepticism around the world. "What has he achieved?" "It's too early for a man who became the president less than ten months ago," say the critics. Obama himself accepted the award with humility, saying to reporters: "I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations."

Obama won the prize for his impressive diplomacy. His deep and universal concern for the fate of the world and the humankind gives him the aura of a religious leader rather than an American president. Removing the shadow of nuclear weapons from the world; solving disputes through dialogue and negotiation; Obama's aspirations remind us of Woodrow Wilson, another American president who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919 for his 14-points Peace Plan. Like Obama, Wilson loved humanity and was a devout Christian. He sought to solve disputes through international law and establish a law-governed world system. But his efforts did not prevent the world from getting stuck in the mud and blood of the First World War. He was a tragic hero who inspired people with his noble aspirations rather than his achievements. Unlike Wilson, Obama has won the prize at the beginning of his presidency, and still has the opportunity to realize his aspirations.

Before we discuss whether Obama deserves the prize, we should discuss our standard of judgment. Is outcome the only standard? Is the loser always in the wrong? Such a standard is flawed. With this criterion, even Jesus does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. Not because he is not alive, but because he did not achieve his ideal of a world without sin and crime. Obama is indeed a freshman president and his diplomacy has not achieved much yet. But his unremitting efforts alone deserve the prize. Obama's predecessor, G. W. Bush is another reason Obama won the prize. Bush's unilateral military actions threw the world into turmoil. Afghanistan, Iraq, threats against Iran and North Korea, took the world to the brink of nuclear war. "You have to remember that the world has been in a pretty dangerous phase," chairman of Nobel committee Thorbjorn Jagland said. "And anybody who can contribute to getting the world out of this situation deserves a Nobel Peace Prize."

Then came the Obama Era. He uses dialogue and negotiation instead of the club. It is possible that Obama will choose war as a last resort, but for now his efforts are giving people hope of peace. Bush's legacy was a world full of fear. People are yearning for peace, and Obama's Peace Prize is an echo of this yearning.

You go, Obama.