The Nobel Committee announced Friday that its annual peace prize had
been awarded to President Barack Obama. The committee cited "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international
diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

The committee pointed specifically to Obama’s commitment to nuclear disarmament and his early efforts to reach out to the Muslim world in explaining its surprise decision, according to The New York Times.  

“The question we have to ask is who has done the most in the previous year to enhance peace in the world,” said Thorbjørn Jagland, the committee chairman, according to The New York Times. “And who has done more than Barack Obama?”

In winning the prize, Obama prevailed over Zimbabwean politician Morgan Tsvangirai, the rumored favorite, and human rights activists in China and Afghanistan. He became the first sitting U.S. president to win the award since Woodrow Wilson in 1919.