Revealed: The secret behind Obama's Nobel
11 Oct 2009, 1613 Hrs

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London, Oct. 11 Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize may have shocked the world at large but a little background check of the Norwegian selection team can clearly explain their leaning towards the pretty-talking American President.

Three of the five selection committee members can be considered hard-left liberals in American politics, and one of those belongs to Norway's Socialist Left party, Politico reports.

And all five people on the committee are politicians selected by the Norwegian parliament, and generally represent a Norwegian view of foreign affairs.

"Obama's speech at the United Nations was received very positively, and falls right in line with the way Norwegians see their own foreign policy," said Terje Leiren, professor of Scandinavian studies at the University of Washington, Seattle.

Thorbjørn Jagland, chief of the Nobel Committee, is a former Norwegian Prime Minister, and a former head of the Norwegian Labor Party, Politico reports.

"All of the parties on the left in Norway are 'evolutionary' socialist parties. They believe that socialism evolves, and you do that in a democratic way," Leiren explained.

Another member of the committee, Sissel Marie Rønbeck, is also a member of the Labor Party.

The third left-leaning politician on the Nobel committee is Ågot Valle, a member of the Socialist Left. His party pushes for environmental causes and increases in social spending.

There are two right-of-center politicians on the committee: Kaci Kullmann Five, a member of the Conservative Party, which would be pro-business moderate Republicanism.

And finally, the committee includes Inger-Marie Ytterhorn, a member of the right-wing Progress Party, which pushes for lower taxes and restrictions on immigration. (ANI)

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