It came as a surprise to many around the world that President Barack Obama won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for 2009, from a field of 205 nominees – 172 individuals and 33 organizations. The Nobel Committee made the announcement last week in Oslo.

Except, perhaps for the five members of the committee, very few people expected the president to win the award. This included the awardee himself, who admitted he was surprised and humbled by the honor.

The deadline for the nominations was February 1, only 12 days into Obama’s presidency and much too early for him to succeed in any peace initiative.

However, in that short time, Obama through speeches, participation at various international meetings and the foreign policy initiatives, has indicated a more positive approach to world peace than his predecessor, George W. Bush.

While Bush was reluctant to negotiate with world leaders who differed with his policies, Obama is willing to sit and negotiate with leaders once seen as thugs. He has signaled that he wants the world to be a different place, in which people of different races, religions, ideologies can disagree without being disagreeable.

Obama has given hope to the citizens of the world that American can be a positive force and not one to be feared. This approach has obviously increased the world’s expectation of peace – something recognized by the Nobel Committee.

Clearly, the decision made by the Nobel Committee had little to do with peace yet accomplished in any part of the world, but more with the stance Obama has taken to achieve peace in the future.

During his inauguration speech, Obama told America’s enemies that he was willing to shake their hands, if they were willing to unclench their fists.

The committee, in making its unanimous award, said it honored Obama for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." It recognized Obama's efforts at dialogue to solve complex global problems, including working toward a world free of nuclear weapons.

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said.

Not surprising is the criticism from the president’s opponents, who say he is not deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize, as he has done nothing for world peace.

On the other hand, there has been almost consensual praise for the president’s award from the international community. As the saying goes, a prophet is without honor in his own country.

Admittedly, it is early in his presidency, but one recognizes Obama’s quest for achieving world peace by breaking down traditional barriers as similar to the achievements of former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, another Nobel Peace Prize winner, in breaking down the cold war barriers, to create rapprochement between the U.S. and the rest of the world.

It is fitting that Obama’s award came while he is planning initiatives towards international peace. It seems like the Nobel Committee is signaling to Obama that the world has great expectations from him.

These expectations will only add more pressure to seeking agreements on nuclear proliferation, resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, global economic prosperity, an end to the war in Iraq, and, of course, elimination of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan to foster peace in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the world.

In his acceptance remarks, Obama acknowledged the ongoing U.S. conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, noting that he is the "commander-in-chief of a country that is responsible for ending a war and working in another theater to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the American people" and U.S. allies.

Some analysts believe the prize could give Obama more confidence as he grapples with decisions to plan a new strategy for the Afghanistan war and attempts to engage Iran and North Korea. Others even speculate that the prestige of the prize could strengthen Obama’s hand in the healthcare reform debate.

Despite the thrill of the award, the president and his administration will face challenges and setbacks in realizing world peace, giving fuel to their right-wing critics. However, Obama has shown he is willing to listen to world leaders.

The Nobel committee has endorsed his approach to international leadership and peace and made it known that, notwithstanding the criticism from America’s conservative right, it expects the U.S. to forge international contracts by sitting and negotiating at the conference table to bring about world peace.

The Nobel Committee has placed multilateral diplomacy at the forefront of international relations. However, international peace cannot be achieved by Obama alone. For peace to be achieved, he must succeed in getting reluctant world leaders to listen and make agreeable changes. Therein lies the greatest challenge to this new Nobel Peace Prize winner