ALL TO THE GOOD IF HE USES IT AS LEVERAGE IN IRAN AND KOREA:

IAEA, ElBaradei Share Nobel Peace Prize (Fred Barbash and Dafna Linzer, October 7, 2005, Washington Post)

Mohamed ElBaradei and International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog agency he heads, won the 2005 Nobel Prize for Peace today.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee called ElBaradei "an unafraid advocate" for nuclear nonproliferation "at a time when the threat of nuclear arms is again increasing." [...]

"What more could we ask for than a smart, respected Egyptian who cares passionately about the New York Knicks and nuclear nonproliferation?" said John Ritch, a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency who was instrumental in ElBaradei's selection.

Though he lacked any experience leading a major institution, U.S. support was enough for him to beat the only other contender -- a South Korean whose own country abstained -- in a 34 to 0 vote that launched ElBaradei's tenure as director general of the IAEA.

ElBaradei became a champion in the eyes of many who opposed the war in Iraq, especially those in the Arab world. He is often asked for autographs, and occasionally applauded, when he lands in Arab capitals and is one of the most sought-after officials for media interviews.

Privately, Bush administration officials acknowledge that the IAEA's Iran investigation, now in its third year, has been thorough and that the agency has uncovered far more than U.S. intelligence could have learned without it.