US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is taking shape. It was launched in Davos at the World Economic Forum on Thursday with a signing ceremony for its charter members.
This is an important move for the US administration and provides an opportunity to cement the initiatives that Trump has pursued.
The Trump doctrine in his second term has focused heavily on ending conflicts around the world. He claims to have helped end eight conflicts. The Israel-Hamas War is one of the most important.
Among the countries reported to be joining the Board of Peace are Bahrain, Morocco, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, and Uzbekistan, according to a post on X/Twitter by journalist Hiba Nasr.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had accepted Trump’s invitation to join.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt said they “welcome the invitation extended to their leaders by the President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, to join the Board of Peace.”
The statement, which was circulated by Jordan on Wednesday, added: “The Ministers announce their countries’ shared decision to join the Board of Peace. Each country will sign the joining documents and, according to their respective relevant legal and other necessary procedures, including the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates, which have already announced to join.”
These countries said they supported Trump’s peace efforts, including ending the Israel-Hamas War. They also said they hoped the board would work toward “advancing a just and lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law, thereby paving the way for security and stability for all countries and peoples of the region.”
While in Switzerland, Trump said, “Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do. And we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations.”
Trump: 'Permanent members must fund with a payment of $1 billion each'
Saudi Arabia-based newspaper Arab News reported: “Trump, who will chair the board, invited dozens of other world leaders to join, saying he wants it to address challenges beyond the stuttering Gaza truce, stirring misgivings that it could undermine the UN’s role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution. Other major global powers and traditional Western US allies have balked at joining the board, which Trump says permanent members must help fund with a payment of $1 billion each, either responding cautiously or declining the invitation.”
Much work remains to be done now that the board is being formed. It remains to be seen whether more European countries will join. It is also unclear if other large countries, such as Russia, will join.
“Russia said late on Wednesday it was studying the proposal after Trump said it would join,” Arab News reported. France has declined. Britain said on Thursday it was not joining at present. China has not yet said whether it will join.”
With 35 countries apparently set to join, this will be an important accomplishment for the Trump administration.
“There’s tremendous potential with the United Nations,” Trump said, “and I think the combination of the Board of Peace with the kind of people we have here... could be something very, very unique for the world.”
This potentially ushers in a global new world order. This in some ways builds on past US initiatives and dovetails with Trump’s other doctrines, such as his decision to revive the Monroe Doctrine for the Western Hemisphere.
It is not yet clear how Trump’s push to acquire Greenland will work out. What matters is that this US policy is now unique and builds on those taken by historic leaders such as Woodrow Wilson, FDR, and JFK.
Those leaders all sketched out a concept of how America fits into the world. Wilson wanted to see a world that was safe for democracies. JFK spoke about a world that was half free, and the free half was being led by the US. Trump’s message to the world is not the same.
The concept of a Board of Peace and Trump’s push for peace puts him in line with historic American leadership. For instance, Teddy Roosevelt was key to bringing peace between Russia and Japan in 1905. For his efforts, he was awarded the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize. Trump would like to get the same prize for his work.