Top 5 Controversial Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Whistleblower Edward Snowden has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, joining an illustrious roll call of former nominees.

A patriot to some, a traitor to others, if Snowden is named as this year's winner he would join a list of other contentious recipients.

President Obama — US President Barack Obama won in 2009 Reuters

1) Barack Obama (2009) - The new US president was riding high on the back of his 2008 election victory when he was nominated. Critics said it was premature, but did he win? Yes he did.

2) European Union (2012) - The EU might not be every Tory backbencher's cup of tea, but that didn't stop the supra-national union winning for its advancement of peace

Henry Kissinger: The Face of Bilderberg — Henry Kissinger was allegedly behind secret bombing campaigns against the Khmer Rouge

3) Henry Kissinger (1973) - Secretary of State Kissinger received the prize for bringing about a ceasefire in Vietnam. Shame, critics thought, about his secret bombing campaigns in Cambodia.

Poison Gas — Fritz Haber was considered a genius but his research developed poison gas Reuters

4) Fritz Haber (1919) - It is said that two out of five humans on the planet today owe their existence to the discoveries of one brilliant German chemist. But he also feared arrest as a war criminal for his poison gas research.

France opens investigation into 2004 death of Yasser Arafat — Former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was considered a terrorist by his enemies Reuters

5) Yasser Arafat (1994) - Palestinian leader Arafat was loved and loathed in equal measure. Israelis may have considered him a terrorist, but the Nobel judges commended his efforts to bring peace in the Middle East.

Barack Obama Vladimir Putin