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US President Barack Obama sensationally won the Nobel Peace Prize last night less than a year after he took office with the jury hailing his “extraordinary” diplomatic efforts on the international stage.

The choice made Mr Obama the third sitting US president to win the peace prize, following Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1919.
It shocked Nobel observers because the 48-year-old president took office less than two weeks before the February 1 nomination deadline.
“The president was humbled to be selected by the committee,” a White House Official said, adding that spokesman Robert Gibbs woke him by telephone at 6am (9pm AEDT) to tell him.
Sydney Peace Foundation director Stuart Rees said Mr Obama had been given the prize prematurely. Professor Rees said Mr Obama’s win came as a massive shock and he had much work to do if he was to live up to the award.
“We’ve all got our fingers crossed (Obama) can wave his magic wand and make these things happen. Perhaps the Nobel organisation wants to give him a magic wand,” he said. “I think the guy is full of promise but I don’t think the promise has been realised yet particularly in regards the Middle East.”
Mr Obama’s name had been mentioned in speculation before the award but many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to honour the US President. Observers had also suggested there was no obvious candidate for the prize as no major conflicts had been resolved by peaceful means in the past year.
Speculation had focused on Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba and jailed Chinese dissident Hu Jia, along with an Afghan women’s rights activist Sima Samar.
Asked whether it was too early to give Mr Obama the prize at a time when the US was fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland last night replied: “If you look at the history of the Peace Prize, we have on many occasions given it to try to enhance what many personalities were trying to do.
“Before he took office the situation was so dangerous. Step by step, he has given the message to the world that he wants to negotiate on all conflicts, strengthen the UN and work for a world without any nuclear arms.
“We had no problem … It was a unanimous decision.”
The Nobel committee praised Mr Obama’s creation of “a new climate in international politics” and said he had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions such as the UN to the centre of the world stage.
The plaudit appeared to be a slap at George W.Bush from a committee that harshly criticised Mr Obama’s predecessor for resorting to largely unilateral military action in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Rather than recognising concrete achievement, this year’s prize is intended to support initiatives that have yet to bear fruit: reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, easing US conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthening the US role in combating climate change.
“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,” Mr Jagland said.
“In the past year Obama has been a key person for important initiatives in the UN, for nuclear disarmament and to set a completely new agenda for the Muslim world and East-West relations.”
He added that the committee endorsed “Obama’s appeal that ‘Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges’.”
The first African-American President has brought the Israeli and Palestinian leaders together for a meeting, approved new diplomatic engagement with Iran, Burma and North Korea and signalled a new willingness to attack growing environmental problems.
Mr Obama went to Cairo to make a major speech on relations with the Muslim world, badly tarnished by Mr Bush’s order to invade Iraq. At the UN, he has launched an initiative to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world.
“The exciting and important thing about this prize is that it’s given to someone … who has the power to contribute to peace,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said.
Last year’s Peace Prize winner Matti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president and veteran troubleshooter in international conflicts, said the award should “encourage” Mr Obama’s Middle East peace efforts. “We do not yet have a peace in the Middle East … this time it it was very clear that they wanted to encourage Obama to move on these issues,” Mr Ahtisaari told CNN. “This is a clear encouragement to do something on this issue. I wish him good luck.”
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Mr Obama was the “appropriate” person to win the prize; however, the Taliban said the US President had “not taken a single step towards peace in Afghanistan”.
Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer said the honour would raise expectations for the US leader to stand up for human rights around the world.
Ms Kadeer, who has been tipped as a laureate for her fight on behalf of the Chinese minority group, said: “I am very happy that he got it. Now he has to do something with the award. It raises expectations on him to stand up for oppressed nations.”

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