In awarding the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize to former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, the committee chairman, Gunnar Berge, said the award "should be interpreted" as a "kick in the leg" to President George W. Bush's "belligerent" foreign policy positions. Carter's Nobel citation reads:

In a situation currently marked by threats of the use of power, Carter has stood by the principles that conflicts must as far as possible be resolved through mediation and international co-operation based on international law, respect for human rights, and economic development.

A week later, the government of North Korea acknowledged systematic violations of a 1994 pact, brokered by Carter, in which it had agreed to halt its nuclear weapons program in return for generous economic assistance from the United States and South Korea. American officials say North Korea may have already produced one or two atomic bombs under cover of that agreement, which may destabilize the region.

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