The 48-year old President himself was “both surprised and deeply humbled” by the Nobel Committee's decision, and has characteristically acknowledged that he does not view it as “a recognition of my own accomplishments”. And he regards it as “an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations”. His humility abounds his brief statement from the White House (October 9) in which Mr. Obama accepts the award as “a call to action - a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century”.

In his pre-election best-seller, 'Audacity of Hope”, Mr. Obama had expatiated what the United States ought to do at home and abroad in the midst of the new and emerging challenges of the 21st century, many of them are global, whether education, health, economy, climate change, terrorism and peace and security. His campaign for the Presidency sought, and obtained decisively, the nation's mandate for his trademark, “Change”, in Washington — in the post-Bush era - in every direction while safeguarding the United States of America as its Supreme Commander.

Praise and scorn have poured over the Nobel Committee's decision in this case, though normally, the world routinely applauds the Oslo awards, whoever be the recipient, whatever the area of specialisation, which may even be beyond comprehension for the bulk of the cheering community, and whether the prize is for solid accomplishments in the fields of honour or over great faith in what the chosen person is cable of, based on his or her record.

Those who may be holding it against President Obama would do well to read what the Nobel Committee has said, “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”. It may look more like an investment in hope, and Mr. Obama seems determined to take on audaciously the challenges which would some time into the future validate the choice.

The global context as Mr. Obama took his oath on January 20 this year can hardly be overlooked and his own inaugural address laid out a transformative agenda. He inherited a trillion dollar deficit, an economy in recession, two wars engaging America, and a planet in peril. His Administration has moved in many ways to reshape America's relations with all nations, including traditional allies, and establish what he calls “ a new era of engagement in which all nations must take responsibility for the world we seek”.

As he entered the ninth month in office in October, President Obama has been tackling the worst economic slump since the Great Depression with a massive stimulus for recovery and re-investments, which would create or save jobs for millions, at a time America's unemployment rate has been rising fast and now nearly 10 per cent, the highest in decades. Federal bailouts helped stabilise the financial system averting a feared meltdown. Mr. Obama has provided leadership in tiding over the global economic and financial crisis involving all leading nations, developed and developing, in decision-making and restructuring the world economic system to prevent a recurrence of crises of the present magnitude triggered by boom-and-bust cycles.

But the Nobel Committee has taken note of his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”. Mr. Obama's visits to Europe and the Middle East, the accelerated withdrawal of US troops from Iraq after the universally condemned invasion ordered by his predecessor (Mr. George Bush), his new initiatives for an Israeli-Arab peace settlement which would lead to two independent states coming into existence and overtures to Iran, have all apparently contributed to the Nobel Committee's view of the President creating a “new climate of international politics”.

Reactions vary among nations on some of the issues that are unfolding as the Obama Administration sets out its formulations on what the President calls “common challenges” which must be globally solved - like climate change, protectionism in trade or finance, nuclear non-proliferation and development leading to elimination of poverty. Nevertheless, there is no gainsaying the fact that Mr. Obama has brought about a change in the way America looks at the world and knows what it ought to do more to regain the confidence of nations around the world in its global leadership.

The challenges cannot be met by one nation alone, he says and looks at the award in a global perspective, as one which is “not simply about the efforts of my administration, it is about the courageous efforts of people around the world” . The award must be shared by everyone who strives for “justice and dignity”. Mr. Obama has launched a new opening to the “Muslim world” to build mutual trust and mutual respect.Taliban predictably condemned the honour conferred on the US President while the Iranian leader cautiously hoped Mr. Obama would bring “justice to the world order”.

The award must come to him as a shot in the arm when his administration is mired in controversies on his domestic agenda, especially health care reform, the “ineffectiveness” of the administration in arresting unemployment and jump-starting the economy, and “failure” so far in taming terrorism in Af-Pak area despite Mr. Obama's decision to send more troops to fight a “war of necessity. Mr. Obama's popular rating has also taken a beating in recent months as his administration wrestles with difficulties in pushing his agenda in the face of stout Republican resistance and campaigns to lower his reputation. (IPA Service)