Remembering a presidential peacemaker
President Teddy Roosevelt, known as “The Rough Rider” for his war heroics, also led one of America’s greatest peace initiatives. We can draw inspiration from Roosevelt to end today’s brutal civil war in Yemen.
Roosevelt helped end a war between Japan and Russia in 1905. Teddy gave us a shining example of what America’s role in the world should be: peacemaker.
In August 1905, at Roosevelt’s invitation, diplomats from Russia and Japan started a peace conference in America. But it was not in Washington, D.C., as you might expect. It all took place by the sea in the small town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and also the Portsmouth Naval Yard in nearby Kittery, Maine.
The out-of-the-way setting gave a calm atmosphere for the talks, away from the horror of war. The Russo-Japanese conflict, fought over control in Manchuria and Korea, had claimed at least 150,000 casualties. There was the risk it could get much worse too, with more countries entering the fight.
Roosevelt never went to Portsmouth himself, but guided the peace efforts from afar in Washington. When discussions hit a snag, Roosevelt would step in. The people of Portsmouth played a role through citizen diplomacy.
According to the Treaty of Portsmouth 100th anniversary site, “In between the formal direct negotiations, the people of Portsmouth hosted informal meetings, recreational and social events throughout the local area to foster interpersonal relations between the Russian and Japanese delegations.”
By the end of the summer, the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed and the war came to a merciful end.
Japan and Russia were both so weakened by the conflict they became at risk of famine. The war had depleted their resources so they were not able to focus on a growing hunger crisis. War always takes precious resources away from society.
In early 1906 Roosevelt made an appeal which read “The famine situation in northern Japan is proving much more serious than at first supposed, and thousands of persons are on the verge of starvation. Nations, like men, should stand ever ready to aid each other in distress.” Americans quickly responded with aid for Japan. The next year, Roosevelt issued a famine relief appeal for Russia when hunger escalated there.
Likewise today, war has weakened the Middle Eastern nation of Yemen, leaving 20 million people hungry according to the World Food Program.
The civil war in Yemen, between a Saudi Arabia-led coalition against the Houthi rebels, has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Children are among these casualties, from bombs hitting schools, hospitals and homes.
A peace treaty is desperately needed in Yemen.
Frank McManus of the International Rescue Committee pleads, “There is no military solution to this war, and the U.S. and the UK must use all their energy to encourage the warring parties to come to a political solution.”
The United States must be a peacemaker to this conflict, as it was during the Russian-Japanese War. The U.S. should stop its military support of the Saudi coalition. We must also provide enough funding for relief agencies who are short on resources for Yemen. Our role as peacemaker is clear.
Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for ending the war between Russia and Japan. The American people also share in this honor with citizen diplomacy, including famine relief. We should have this same passion for peace again today to stop Yemen’s civil war and ongoing humanitarian disaster.