2009 Nobel Peace Prize committee for a "hideous display of cynical politics". Stuart Rees, director of the Sydney Peace Foundation in Australia, questioned the award. "Perhaps the Nobel organisation wants to give him a magic wand. 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." In Asia and the Middle East: Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai said that Obama was the "appropriate" person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. "His hard work and his new vision on global relations, his will and efforts for creating friendly and good relations at
Nobel Peace Center of the Nobel Prize. Bente Erichsen is director of the Nobel Peace Center. Geir Lundestad is chairman of the Center’s board, which is appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Nobel Peace Center The Nobel Peace Center () in Oslo, Norway is a showcase for the Nobel Peace Prize and the ideals it represents. The Center is also an arena where culture and politics merge to promote involvement, debate and reflection around topics such as war, peace and conflict resolution. The Nobel Peace Center was opened in 2005 by His Majesty King Harald V of Norway in a ceremony attended by