Trump's Board of Peace hints at new U.S. diplomacy approach

The statement was circulated by the Kingdom of Jordan on January 21. “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,” the report said.

These countries said that they support the peace efforts of Trump. They supported ending the Gaza war. They also said they hoped this 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.”

“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 said in Switzerland.

Trump: 'Permanent members must fund with a payment of $1 billion each'
Arab News noted that “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. 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 if 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. France has declined. Britain said on Thursday it was not joining at present. China has not yet said whether it will ⁠join,” Arab News noted.

With thirty-five countries apparently set to join this will be an important accomplishment for Trump’s administration.

“There’s tremendous potential with the United Nations, 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 thae world,” Trump said.

This ushers in potentially 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 clear yet how Trump’s push to acquire Greenland will work out.

What matters is that this US policy is now unique and building on ones followed by historic leaders such as Woodrow Wilson, FDR, or 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.

Trump’s concept of a Board of Peace and his 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.