One of four U.S. presidents to win the Nobel Peace Prize crossword

Barack Obama served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 - 2017. The Nobel Committee granted him the Peace Prize in 2009, only months after he took office, for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people.” The award underlined the peaceful plus just world order that he had promised during the campaign and that he tried to promote through his policies but also leadership. The Committee pointed to three main reasons - his drive to lower nuclear arms, his work to reinforce international institutions and his open support for human rights as well as democracy. Although his presidency met heavy challenges at home and abroad, observers welcomed his steady preference for diplomacy or multilateral action after the unilateral approach of the George W. Bush era. The award stirred immediate debate. Critics called it premature noting that Obama had not yet had time to turn his platform into concrete results. Others doubted that his record at that early stage matched the standard normally required for the prize. Despite the objections, the honor raised his global profile and strengthened his image as a figure who could shift the direction of American politics. Scholars still dispute the long term meaning of the Nobel medal. His administration produced clear victories also clear setbacks - yet the prize endures as a symbol of hope, patient diplomacy and the pursuit of a less violent world. Among the four U.S. presidents who have received the Nobel Peace Prize, Obama remains tied to the distinction for as long as history remembers his tenure.