Photo: Pete Souza/White House — President Obama checks out his Nobel Peace Prize medal in Oslo, Norway on Thursday, December 10, 2009

President Barack Obama stepped onto the world stage once again, this time to accept the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Back in October, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced President Obama had been selected for the award because of his “… “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” In his speech today, the president talked of war and peace.

 ”Yes, terrible wars have been fought, and atrocities committed.  But there has been no Third World War.  The Cold War ended with jubilant crowds dismantling a wall.  Commerce has stitched much of the world together.  Billions have been lifted from poverty.  The ideals of liberty and self-determination, equality and the rule of law have haltingly advanced.  We are the heirs of the fortitude and foresight of generations past, and it is a legacy for which my own country is rightfully proud.

I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war.  What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work, and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago.  And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace. ”  You can read the full text here.

Photo: Pete Souza/White House — President Obama and First Lady Michelle take a spin around the dance floor at the Nobel Banquet in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, December 10, 2009.

Tags: awards, Michelle Obama, Nobel Peace Prize, President Barack Obama

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