Does Obama merit the prized Nobel?

Obama assumed office in January and it is surprising that he has been awarded the prize so soon. I think it seriously affects the credibility of the historic award. People will also doubt the credibility of the selection process for conferring the prize. I don't think he deserves the accolade because he has become president recently and hasn't done anything extraordinary for world peace. I'm sure many others have done much more.  
Gaurav Sachdeva

It's too early to give a Nobel prize to someone who has just started his political journey. Nobel prize is a prestigious award and is respected all over the world. Obama has created a lot of hope in the mind of people. Moreover the Afghanistan and Iraq issue hasn't been resolved by him as promised. Hence, it is too early to award him an award for peace. Compared to Mahatma Gandhi, his contribution is negligible. —Vikrant Jain

Obama winning a Nobel prize is indeed shocking. While his election to the august office of president may have been historic, since he is the first coloured head of state. Moreover he won because people were tired of George W Bush, and Obama came as a refreshing change. But that is certainly not enough, he needs something substantial to merit the award. Mahatma Gandhi was nominated thrice, but never managed to win the award.
 —Kiran Jha

Obama assumed presidential office a couple of months ago and it is ridiculous to award him a Nobel prize. He hasn't achieved anything extraordinary. The war in Afghanistan and Iraq is still on and so are the terror attacks. He did create excitement during elections and made some nice speeches. That is not a factor for a prize like this. A lot of more deserving candidates have been looked over, when it comes to selection.   
—Vaishakhi Mehta

The selection of the American president is ludicrous, because as of now he hasn't done anything significant. I'm sure other nominees were much more deserving. For example, the Afghan rights activist Sima Samar deserved it more considering the situation in that country. Maybe it is an appeasement policy as he is the third sitting US president to win it. Also, the motive behind it would be to showcase American clout.  
—Apurva Banthia

(Compiled by Meghna Sharma)