WASHINGTON - Barack Obama has not won the Nobel Peace Prize as a reward for his peacemaking efforts, rather, it has been bestowed upon him to encourage peace across the world, the Christian Science Monitor opines.

The report quoted Gro Holm, the senior commentator on foreign affairs at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp., as saying that the prize committee was probably trying to put pressure on him to deliver on the promise of greater international peace and stability.

“You can’t overlook the fact that Bush was hugely unpopular here, and that Obama has turned that trend around. My 14-year-old daughter was up all night watching election returns because of Obama,” he said.

On Friday, the Nobel committee’s announcement to award the prestigious prize to a promising American president who has spent less than a year in office left many puzzled.

The decision was questioned even more since Obama is also the commander-in-chief of the Afghan and Iraq wars, as well as ongoing lower-scale US military efforts in Pakistan, the Horn of Africa, and the Philippines.

However, Obama’s decision to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear program and promises to revive the Middle Eastern peace process have rescued America’s image on the global platform.

Obama’s decision to cancel a planned missile-shield system in Eastern Europe was also widely praised.

The Norwegian Nobel committee clearly has something greater in mind than simply giving Obama a $1 million high-five for being such a popular guy, the report concludes. (ANI)