Unacceptable

The U.S. has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons — enough to blow half the solar system to blazes. Further, no U.S. President had made any concerted effort to reduce or destroy this deadly menace. It is astonishing to find Mr. Obama, who has paid only lip service to disarmament so far, winning the Peace Nobel.

Shanmugam Mudaliar,

Pune

That the nominations for this year’s Nobel Prize closed on the 12th day of Mr. Obama’s presidency exposes the fragile basis on which he was nominated for the Peace Prize and the intellectual bankruptcy of the Nobel Committee. How will the committee justify its act if Mr. Obama fails to deliver?

Vaibhav C. Ghalme,

New Delhi

Awarding the Peace Nobel to Mr. Obama is like declaring a candidate successful in an examination before his appearance in it. The President may be a towering personality deserving the Nobel but he is still in power. What if he decides to bomb Iran or North Korea or increases the intensity of war in Afghanistan?

S. Raghunatha Prabhu,

Alappuzha

Awarding a prize for words, not deeds, is farcical. Peace Nobel for Mr. Obama is comparable to conferring the World Cup on a team that has not participated in the tournament, giving the Oscar to one who has made no film, and awarding the Booker to someone who has not written a book.

S. Nagarajan,

Thane

One wonders how Mr. Obama could be selected for the highest honour without contributing anything tangibly to peace. Like any other politician, he has only spoken on the need to establish peace. Weapons of mass destruction are available in plenty in his country and he has no agenda to destroy them. The U.S. continues to encourage Israel. The Norwegian committee has grossly brought down the prestige of the Peace Prize.

A.G. Rajmohan,

Anantapur

Mr. Obama has done nothing significant for peace since assuming office. He is following in the footsteps of his predecessor in the illegal occupation of Iraq, funding Pakistan thus helping it to further its policy of fomenting terror in India, building an unholy nexus with Israel, and needling the states which the U.S. perceives as enemies.

J. Suganthi,

Lalgudi

True, Mr. Obama is helping Americans come out of the mire created by the Bush administration, by promoting harmony between the West and the Islamic countries. Although his efforts are laudable, considering that it is his duty as the President of the United States, they cannot be considered an achievement worthy of the coveted Nobel Prize. However, Mr. Obama deserves praise for accepting the prize graciously — terming it a call to action — and reinforcing his dedication to the cause of world peace.

Sowmya Kumar,

Chennai