South Asian Bloggers On Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize

Image credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcn/2174935053/ used under a creative commons license

Image credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcn/2174935053/ used under a creative commons license

The President of USA Barack Obama received the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize today. According to the Nobel Committee he achieved it for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”.

This has been a surprise to many people in the world. In theory this prize should be awarded to an individual or organization engaged in the resolution of a protracted armed conflict. But there were some exceptions in the past and Obama's is one of them since he only started his job as president when he was nominated in last February.

The New York Times summarizes some feedbacks from the world. Now let us look at how the bloggers and micro-bloggers from South Asia are expressing their reactions on the news.

From Bangladesh, An Ordinary Citizen is skeptical terming the award as premature.

We appreciate his effort for peace which he just initiates and we have to wait for the result.
Isn’t it a bit premature for him to get the prize? We are not sure how it will affect his mindset.

Indian blogger Churumuri has some simple questions:

Does Obama deserve The Prize? Has he done anything to warrant it? Does giving it to so young a man, in the infancy of his Presidency, devalue all those who worked long and hard to earn it? Or does it not matter at all, because the Nobel is such a political prize anyway (as anybody who has read Irving Wallace’s The Prize will know), given to Yasser Arafat and Menachem Begin?

Still from India, Zooni is a Obama fan, but is surprised nonetheless:

Ok before u get it wrong i am certainly not an Obama hater … i love him seriously, i had made a post congratulating him on his presidential win, but what the hell he won for what, he was 2
weeks in office when he was nominated (nominations ended on feb 1st). I guess obama won the nobel peace prize for great campaigning!

From Pakistan, Temporal at Baithak blog is a bit harsh in reaction:

This may well turn out to be the watershed year in the decline of Nobel Prizes. What were the committee members eating or smoking?

President Obama may well deserve this award in years to come. But not at this time. He has just begun his strive and is yet to leave a mark on world peace.

Sri Lankan blog Indi.ca thinks that this prize may hurt Obama domestically:

I think Obama is definitely the coolest person walking the face of the earth today. However, I don’t think he’s done what he’s set out to do yet. The Nobel might theoretically help him, but it can also hurt domestically.

Micro-bloggers across the world were busy today expressing their surprise and skepticism after hearing the news. Here are some of the reactions from the South Asian Twitter users:

@vijaysankaran: Nobel Peace Prize is now like the Bharat Ratna… it’s about who you are, not what you did-)

@tantanoo: So Bush declares war, Obama lobbies peace and wins Nobel Peace prize. Nice algorithm I say.

santhemant: “president of USA Obama gets Nobel Peace prize for active in WAR at so many places..supporting Pakistan and Ignoring democracies like India.

saniakhan: dunno if I can support President Obama's win of the Nobel Peace Prize with the drones in #Pakistan still going on.

YusufKhan: Guantanamo still open, drone bombings on Pakistan continue, the war in Iraq/Afghanistan still on, and Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Yay.

@TinyToots: I also want Nobel Peace Prize. Everyday I refrain from doing violence to so many people. Why is nobody nominating me?

@OldmonkMGM: Pick the odd man out: The Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama.

10 comments

  • virtutibus

    When I heard the news, I thought it was a joke of April Fool´s Day. Unfortunately, it is the real news.

  • darryl

    I guess what the Nobel Prize Committee is saying is that it is ok to kill South Asians, you can even get a peace prize for doing it. Sounds like the good old days of the wild west.

  • When I first found out that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize for 1909, my initial reaction was that it was inappropriate for him to receive the price while waging war in Afghanistan. Then I read a news report that said that Obama has created a “new climate” in the international arena and made “extraordinary efforts to strengthen democracy and cooperation among the peoples of the world.

    After reading this, I concluded that the Nobel Committee wanted to praise Obama for, among other things, taking a measured stance in the removal of Zelaya from the presidency of Nicaragua.

    They also wanted to demonstrate that the international community holds him in very high regard with the hope that the prestige of the award will strengthen his political position at home.

    They also did this in awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Martin Luther King.

    These were both good moves, while the moves to award the Peace Prize to Kissinger and Arafat turned out to be utterly stupid as history went on. (I guess this only proves that in trying to influence the course of history for the better, you win some and you lose some!)

    I myself hold Obama in very high regard. He is obviously very intelligent and has a good grasp of domestic and foreign affairs and political processes both at home and abroad. With a little luck, he may eventually turn out to be one of our greatest presidents!

    (I am also ecstatically happy that I have lived long enough to see an African American occupy the presidency! I really hope that eventually Obama reaches the rank of Franklin Roosevelt!)

    Harleigh Kyson Jr.

  • Congratulation and more congratulation to the US President for awarding the prestigious Nobel peace prize. Also congratulate to my beloved first lady Michelle Obama and sweet lovely girl Malia and Sasha. A lot of thanks to the Noble Committe for their right decision by giving the prestigious Nobel peace prize to US President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples. The committee attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons. But it also mentioned the UN, climate change and the \strengthening\ of democracy and human rights. Nobel Committee again proved to the whole nation that their selection is free, fair and incredible. My expectation has become true at last.

  • […] Those weren’t conservative wingnuts at all. That was a collection of South East Asian blog reactions. Try […]

  • venkataramana pamarty

    Doves are birds of Peace.Nobel Peace Prize is an acknowledged tribute paid for yeoman services rendered to upkeep Harmony of the World ..Peace however eludes one and all…!1

    What is Peace ?Does Prez Obama deserve the award today?Or it it a pre-mature appreciation of an unaccomplished task of wiping away Communism,Terrorism and Fasicm from the policies of Governments ,world-wide?Does it pre-empt efforts of the gentleman-President to restore a semblance of democratic norms in strife-torn warlands and state of anarchy prevalent in kingdoms,fiefdoms and sultanates,elsewhere on the Globe….?

    Peace is a wonderful objective?Nations throughout History have been at it ,aiming high,trying out different potions and experimenting with various ideologies .But neither the oldest Democracy of the World [America] nor the largest Democracy[India]have been successful in maintenance of Absolute Peace in their own lands.So,whither Peace?

    Is it a feather well-deserved oris it just another shining feather on the plume of a parakeet-bird,in a way?

    I humbly attest to the singularly unique ability of Prez.Obama to grasp realities of a situation;to seize the opportunities;to lead from the front – overtaking all predictions and turning odds into even tides…He is exceptional .No doubt whatsoever…!!

    Peace be to Mankind .Nobel Laurette Obama has his task cut out now :wipe out discord ;exterminate terrorism from the face of the Earth;eliminate the notorious much-publicized and dreaded villainious elements [like Osama who is said to be deadly but stays holed away as a mountain rat with the aid of a sub-ordinate force comprising predominantly of fanatical and religious bigots and outlaws];release war-prisoners;free caged minds;destroy all warheads [those of the N.Korean and Iranian or Pakis,included,of course];erase racism everywhere;and most importantly daringly help free millions of human-beings in the lesser developed World from the pangs of Hunger of the belly as well as of the bane of being enslaved to blocked mindsets [be it of a religious connotation,commercial hue or vices galore]…That alone is Real Peace ,Mr.President of America…!!!

    Peaceful co-existence is a sine qua non for a truly peace-filled World to forge ahead united into the next Century firstly [as of now] or else, Earth shall be exterminated before the turn of the next Millenium ,without any iota of doubt or reservation.Ask Alfed Nobel’s Trustees : they knew for whom the bell tolls and as to who shall bell the cat…!!

    PEACE IS A BLESSING FOREVER…!!!

  • fayyaz

    Wow congrates president obama! At least work for peace now after being awarded.Your approach is good but need actions and results.Try to bring peace and harmony among nations. Can’t you influence India to liberate Kashmir and ask your close one Israel to behave with palestinans.If these two issues are resolved in your time you deserved this award and even more.

  • gie ann

    If it was the decision of the organizers, so be it…They have their committee to confirm it. Just because he is new as U.S. president, does it sound a poor decision? How about his previous jobs well done?Decision is final. If you have doubts, why not organize your own prize name, select your personalities and bring it to the media…it’s not easy, really. You cannot please everybody.

  • I believe this is a good acchievment meaning that our voice is being heard. I hope the voice reaches our media also and they stop showing hatred and bloodshed amonst countries and begin to give a sense of tolerance and brotherhood so all nations can live peacefully. All can be done if the media wills!!

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