Should Edward Snowden Receive the Nobel Peace Prize?

[MediumTex]

I am thinking that if a Chinese dissident had done exactly the same thing that Snowden did (i.e., expose the vast scope and scale of illegal spying by the Chinese government on its own citizens and allies) and was forced to flee his own country forever, the rest of the world would be celebrating his courage in standing up to an authoritarian government.

Since, however, Snowden is a U.S. citizen, he is now an international fugitive who is ironically receiving refuge from a guy who has poisoned and imprisoned people in his own country for far less serious offenses than exposing government surveillance of its own citizens and allies.

So who thinks that Snowden deserves the Nobel Peace Prize?  To me, if our current "Drone-Jockey-in-Chief" is worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize, surely Snowden ought to get one too.

[RuralEngineer]

Snowden is too good for a peace prize. That thing is forever tainted now.

[moda0306]

Snowden is too good for a peace prize. That thing is forever tainted now.

Since Hitler won it?

[Pointedstick]

It's always been a joke. The idea that a politically-appointed body* closely affiliated with government--the worst kind of mass murderer in the history of the humanity--could accurately award such a prize is pretty laughable.

Governments are antithetical to peace. The only way they know how to create it is by destroying their perceived enemies. Little wonder Hitler and Obama got the prize.

* the nobel committee members are former politicians appointed by the parliament of Norway.

[dualstow]

I think Snowden is both a traitor and a hero, and before I clicked to the thread I was thinking No.
I think your speculation about a Chinese dissident is spot on, however.
You've really got me thinking here, after a full brain-dead day of jury duty.

[Bob]

unless my Google fu has failed me, Hitler and Stalin were nominated but did not win the prize, and the Hitler nomination was pulled back and may have been a act of political sarcasm more than a serious nomination..

Hitler and Stalin never won the Nobel peace prize -- not sure if they were ever nominated and then had their names withdrawn.  However, they both were Time Magazine person of the year.  Hitler in 1938 and Stalin in 1939, and 1942.  President Obama won the Nobel Peace prize in 2009 "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

I found it fascinating to Google "Nobel Peace prize winners" and check all the names and organizations on the list.  While no one agrees with every selection, it is an interesting read.

[Xan]

I think the process of being nominated is VERY loose.  IIRC, there are hundreds of people nominated each year, and it's pretty easy for anybody to nominate anybody.  I wouldn't hold a nomination as evidence of much.

[RuralEngineer]

They gave a peace prize to Arafat, terrorist. And if nothing else Obama had done nothing positive to contribute to the cause of peace when he won and he proudly admits signing the warrants that have caused the death of possibly hundreds of innocents via drones...hardly peaceful. I'm not sure how any nominee could feel good about winning at this point.