Barack Obama's coronation of this year's Nobel Peace Prize

US President Barack Obama's coronation of this year's Nobel Peace Prize has pleasantly surprised many people. They include fellow politician George Yeo, his supporters from all around the globe and myself. So what the big deal of being surprised?

Normally, we do not have big reactions towards the winners to this international monetary prize every year. This year's recipient for the peace award has created waves of exclamations all over the world though. For me, I believe that there are two reasons to it. Obama's popularity and the fact that we humans have feelings

Barely nine months after succeeding George Bush to hold his country's highest office, Obama was awarded the prize. It is less than a year only, his star power has not faded although his hair has turned visibly grey so it is not strange that many people still remember him let alone being aware of news about him

Think Martti Ahtisaari. Who is he? He is a former president of Finland. Yes and if you have guessed it, he was last year's winner. Most probably only Finns and people from the Scandivania region. See the difference? It is not what he has/has not done but his overwhelming popularity which makes the first African-American president so surprising

The decision to award Obama was attacked in the Muslim world, an area where the president wants to forge better ties with, as undeserved. No doubt that he still has a long way to go but along that way, he can do the things which will prove that the Norwegian Nobel Committee's choice was right

And they are his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples