By Mel Gurtov
A Board Like None Other
Donald Trump has turned the presidency into a vanity project, putting his name and image all over Washington (most recently, a banner of him atop the department of justice), campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize, pimping for cybercurrency. He’s every bit the rival of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin when it comes to a cult of personality. His latest venture is the Board of Peace, which is not really about promoting peace in Gaza or anywhere else—certainly not in Iran, Ukraine, or Latin America. It’s another self-promoting venture in Trump’s desperate quest to be honored as a peacemaker while operating like a warmonger and investment banker.
At the Board of Peace’s inaugural meeting February 19, attended mainly by Middle East countries, Trump again said its work will reach beyond Gaza to “hotspots” around the world. “We have the greatest leaders in the world joining the Board of Peace,” Trump told reporters. “I think it has the chance to be the most consequential board ever assembled of any kind.” In a January 16 invitation letter to Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Trump said the board was an opportunity “to embark on a bold new approach to resolving Global Conflict!” The board will “start with Gaza and then do conflicts as they arise,” he told Reuters. As chairman-for-life of the board, Trump can do whatever he likes with it—always his preferred situation.
The membership on the Board so far reveals something far short of Trump’s “most consequential.” Of 27 members, two–Israel’s Netanyahu and Russia’s Putin—for whom there are arrest warrants on war crimes charges. They are joined by a who’s-who of the world’s autocrats, including Milei of Argentina, Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Lukashenko of Belarus, al-Sisi of Egypt, Bukele of El Salvador, Orban of Hungary, bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and Erdogan of Turkey. Most European countries as well as New Zealand rejected invitations to join. Canada, you will recall, was disinvited. Pope Leo declined to take part in the board. The Vatican’s top diplomat said international crisis management should be handled by the United Nations rather than a US-led body. That decision no doubt reflects Pope Leo’s criticisms of Trump on other matters.
No matter; all that matters with Trump is that the board is composed of leaders who can’t wait to gratify Trump’s craving for cash. The United Arab Emirates has ponied up $1 billion, which happens to be the price of permanent board membership. Anyone who doesn’t pay $1 billion will be limited to three years on the board. Trump pledged $10 billion from the US, a figure that seems to come from out of nowhere since no amount has been approved by Congress. Presumably, the money will come from the US treasury, which means from taxpayers. How easily Trump can spend $10 billion to satisfy his ego but not spend a similar amount to preserve the environment or save lives with humanitarian assistance abroad.
Serving the Cause of Peace is a Sideshow
Gaza reconstruction is supposed to be the main reason a board was set up. Trump announced that he had secured $7 billion for that purpose—a pittance, roughly a tenth of what is estimated will be needed. One has to wonder why Trump’s friends in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and other Gulf states haven’t come up with the balance. Perhaps they’re unhappy with the lack of a Palestinian on the board. Or perhaps they find it embarrassing that “reconstruction” will amount to adopting Jared Kushner’s plan for glitzy AI-run high-rises beyond the reach of ordinary Palestinians, most of whom will be sitting in camps near the Egyptian border. Using the reconstruction funds is another matter: It depends on overcoming a few major obstacles, such as disarming Hamas, stopping de facto Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and reversing an Israeli decision that has forced 37 NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam to leave Gaza. How reconstruction can proceed when critical medical and other humanitarian assistance is being removed from Gaza—and without a word of protest from the Board of Peace—is beyond comprehension.
A reasonable prediction is that Trump’s board will have an indecent history that will thankfully come to an end once his administration ends. Peace—real peace, with dignity and justice—is beyond such a board’s capacity or interest. Maybe that’s why Trump fell asleep during the three hours of speech making. After “solving” eight wars, perhaps he’s become bored with peace.
Mel Gurtov, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Portland State University.
