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Throughout 1905, the Imperial Russian government had to deal with unrest and revolt at home. Czar Nicholas II decided to negotiate peace so he could concentrate on internal matters. President Roosevelt offered to mediate the conflict. Sergius Witte led the Russian delegation and Baron Komura, a graduate of Harvard, led the Japanese Delegation.
The Treaty of Portsmouth was signed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Russia recognized Korea as part of the Japanese sphere of influence and agreed to evacuate Manchuria. Japan would annex Korea in 1910, with scant protest from other powers. Russia also signed over its 25-year leasehold rights to Port Arthur, including the naval base and the peninsula around it, and ceded the southern half of Sakhalin Island to Japan (which it later regained following the Second World War).
The other Presidents to win the peace prize were Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. Wilson won it in 1919 following the Paris Peace Conference of the same year. Carter won in 2002 (also on December 10th), 22 years after his presidency, for his work "to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development" through The Carter Center.
The awarding of the prize in 2009 to President Obama drew a lot of criticism. It was felt by many that the award was undeserved, premature and politically motivated. Obama himself said that he felt "surprised" by the win and did not consider himself worthy of the award, but nonetheless accepted it. He wrote the following, in an email to supporters:
"This morning, Michelle and I awoke to some surprising and humbling news. At 6 a.m., we received word that I'd been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace. But I also know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. That is why I've said that I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations and all peoples to confront the common challenges of the 21st century."
In your opinion, did President Barack Obama deserve to receive the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize?
Yes
3(10.7%)
No
25(89.3%)