[Kubasarika]

This is extraordinary news!

Obama is an unexpected but deserving recipient.

The fact of the matter is that the US is, by a very wide margin, the most influential political entity in the world. Consider, for example, that the North Koreans will not resume the six-party negotiations until they have bilateral talks with the US. Similarly, the US-brokered the Dayton Accord and the Good Friday Peace Agreement resolved conflicts in Europe. For good or for bad (and, I believe, that this status quo largely has been bad due to Republican influence), this is the reality in international politics.

That being said, Obama is the greatest force for good that the world has seen in a very long time, and he has the ability to influence real change.

The Israelis are the biggest obstacle to world peace, and yet, Obama, unlike Bush, is confronting them head on. He knows, for example, that this could impact his re-election, and yet, he ignores this and acts boldly. For example, even if the economy turns around, he could lose Jewish voters in the key swing states of Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan. This is particularly true if, as I believe, Eric Cantor runs as the first credible Jewish candidate for president. Cantor's reactionary Israel policies will galvanize Jewish voters and the lunatic, Evangelicals who are the Republicans base. If Cantor wins those states, he will be president.

I hope that Obama is re-elected and not only oversees the creation of a Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders but also makes great headway into the conflicts that plague the entire African continent. As usual, these conflicts are ignored. However, they pose severe humanitarian implications for the African people and severe security risks for the West. (Afganistan is harldly the only prime breeding ground for Al-Qada -- Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and many other war-torn African countries are petri dishes for terrorism.) Who better than someone of African descent to broker African peace without Africans suspecting Western colonialism as the motivating force?

Obama gave new life to America's force for good. I was often embarrassed to be American (and often still am when I listen to boneheads like John Boehner, et al); however, Obama has restored my faith in this country.

Unlike many politicians, moreover, Obama's intentions also are genuine. For example, Chirac, de Villepin and Scroder took the proper position vis-a-vis the war in Iraq. However, I believe that their views were motivated less by Obama-esque good intentions than by personal desire to counter-act America's global influence and due to their countries' trade relations -- as was the case with the pathetic Gordon Brown who added further tarnish to his Bush-like legacy when he released the Libyan to secure oil for Britain and yet used Scotland as a scapegoat. (King James I must be rolling over in his grave.)

Obama is a uniquely good politician. He is inspirational and deserves this.

P.S.: I hope that he donates the prize money to benefit children in countries impacted by war, such as Gaza, Sudan, etc.