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“The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts.” (ABC)

"This is not how I expected to wake up this morning...I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee...To be honest, I do not feel I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize." (CNN)

In a surprise unanimous decision, Obama became only the fourth U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize.  The award comes just nine months into his presidency and, with no major policy wins to speak of, it has many people asking was it too soon and how it will affect his diplomatic efforts moving forward?

We look at perspectives from ABC News, Russia Today, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters.  

On Russia Today political analyst Peter Lavelle outlines why he thinks the committee was "premature" in their decision.  

“It's aspirational obviously, but if they think they are going to change American foreign policy by giving this award I think they’re going to regret it down the line.  The United States is in a lot of conflicts around the world and there could be more conflicts in the future so I think it’s very premature. Asprational yes, but realistic no.” (Russia Today)

In an interview with ABC News, director of The Norwegian Nobel Institute Geir Lundestad explains the committee’s rationale and defends the decision to give Obama the award.   

“Some may think it’s a little fast but President Obama has really changed very dramatically international politics.  And when we have a person whose ideals are so close to the ideals of the Norwegian Nobel Committee we wanted to give whatever support we could to his continued action in these fields.” (ABC)

Some sources posture that Obama’s win was perhaps nothing more than a grateful expression for a changing of the guard in Washington.

“For Barack Obama 80 percent of life is just showing up.  All he had to do was not be George Bush and they gave him the Nobel Peace Prize.” (MarketWatch)

“Rarely has an award had such an obvious political and partisan intent. It was clearly seen by the Norwegian Nobel Committee as a way of expressing European gratitude for an end to the Bush Administration, approval for the election of America’s first black president and hope that Washington will honour its promise to re-engage with the world.” (TimesOnline)

There are mixed reactions as to whether Obama’s prestigious award will help or hurt him as he tries to cement more concrete policy gains in the future.  

“We’re dealing with a White House that has really been looking for a win on a signature issue. They didn’t get it on health care, they didn’t get on Middle East peace or dealing with Iran at this point.  But it does give him maybe a little bit of a boost at a time when the president has been looking for something to push him forward.” (USA Today)

“With a Nobel award, those hopes have been raised further and on issues from climate change to Afghanistan.  Obama’s policies will now be subject to even greater international scrutiny.” (Reuters) 

What do you think?  Does President Obama deserve the Nobel Peace Prize?