Your Say: Nobel controversy: Should 'Europe' have won?

• European Union was awarded the Nobel prize for its decades-long efforts for peace and democracy.
• Committee seems to be awarding the prize based on agenda rather than actions.
• Honor is well-deserved. EU has succeeded in ending conflicts among European countries.

The European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week for its decades-long efforts to promote peace and democracy. Comments from Facebook:

This again proves the irrelevancy of the Nobel committee. Many members of the European Union are bordering on bankruptcy, experiencing riots as a result and are asking for more bailouts. But the committee gives this collection of misfits a peace prize? They gave President Obama a Peace Prize when he had barely been in office.

Dennis Vest

The Nobel Peace Prize was right on both occasions. President Obama's views and early actions were such a departure from that of George W. Bush, which the world recognized. The European Union is a beautiful thing that has seemingly put an end to the centuries-old European wars.

Richard Bradshaw Watson II

The new norm seems to be focusing on awarding the prize based on agenda rather than actions.

Chris Nielsen

CRACKS IN UNION

Sentiments like the movement toward separatism in parts of the European Union, such as Spain's Catalonia, always find more support and enthusiasm during tough times, but separation isn't always really the best bet in all cases. I'm sure wealthy Catalonia would be able to survive on its own, but would it really be better off?

Joel Dykstra

Very simply, the union will fail because countries don't want to take care of each other.

Even if it is in their long-term best interest, short-term greed will win out eventually.

Aaron Freeman

VIEW FROM AMERICA

It appears that Americans have become so soft that they have lost perspective on how tough things really are in the world. While we whine and complain because we have an 8% unemployment rate, elsewhere it is much higher. Europeans are rioting in the streets and attacking their government buildings. Wake up my fellow Americans. With all of our flaws, we still have a very high standard of living.

Max Watson

PEACE PRIZE LAUREATES

2012 European Union

2011 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman (for their work on women's rights)

2010 Liu Xiaobo (for his struggle on human rights in China)

2009 Barack Obama (for efforts to improve international diplomacy)

2008 Martti Ahtisaari (for efforts over three decades to resolve international conflicts)

2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Al Gore (for efforts to educate people about the environment)