Photo via Le Monde
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The leader of the free world extends an invitation to underrepresented nations, building an organization whose only objective is peace. An aging, disgraced businessman assembles a league of authoritarian nations, with a grudge and a goal of reshaping the world order. Either of those introductions could open a discussion of United States President Donald J. Trump’s new international initiative: the Board of Peace (BoP).
The board, originally pitched as a part of his 20-point-plan to rebuild Gaza, was formalized by a United Nations Security Council resolution in November. Gaza has been ravaged since 2023 by a territorial— and at times ideological— war between Israel and Palestine. The area has been under a US-brokered ceasefire since October 10th, 2025 allowing a nominal allocation of aid to reach a civilian population that has suffered through famine and endless violence. Despite this ceasefire, little progress has been made on determining what a future may look like for the troubled region. That’s where the BoP comes in… allegedly.
The BoP is to be chaired by President Trump, with an executive board including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and American billionaire Marc Rowan of Apollo Global Management. According to its charter, the executive chairman serves a lifetime term, and is to appoint a successor. Beyond this lifetime tenure, there are concerns regarding the executive chairman position. He also holds veto power over any board decisions and exclusively controls funding. These concerns are magnified when considering the executive chairman at hand: a New York real estate mogul, businessman, politician, convicted felon currently serving his second term over a twelve year span as President of the United States. As President, Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from 66 international agencies that “no longer served American interests,” including 31 United Nations agencies. He has continually voiced his dissatisfaction with the UN, stating that it has taken advantage of the United States’ funds and resources for far too long. While the U.S. is the UN’s undisputed largest contributor, responsible for approximately 95% of its funds, the UN notes that the U.S. is nearly $4 billion in debt to the organization’s budget.
Despite his principal issues with the UN, President Trump has not shied away from an aggressive involvement in foreign affairs. Recently, he made waves by capturing President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, in what has been called both a gross override of sovereignty and a necessary humanitarian intervention. For better or for worse, he all but forced a regime change and stated that “we will run Venezuela,” rapidly revising the country’s oil business sector. He swiftly entered talks with Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado (which concluded with Machado gifting the highly-coveted prize to the president) but reached no official conclusion. In addition, President Trump has demanded U.S. ownership of Greenland, persistent in calling it a national security priority despite backlash from European allies. Seeing his foreign policy track record— nicknamed the “Donroe Doctrine” — his enthusiasm for the BoP isn’t so surprising.
In fact, he has made it clear that the Board will not only serve as a vehicle for his international interests, but may also help in carrying out his vendetta against the UN President Trump set the initial BoP meeting date for the 19th of February, directly interfering with a previously scheduled UN Security Council meeting on the same day. In an effort to not complicate diplomats’ travel plans, the UN moved their meeting to the 18th.
Forcing the UN to reschedule is a bold move, even for Trump, and certainly makes a statement. In case that statement wasn’t properly received, he made many via his Truth Social, posting that “The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History.” Although the Board has not yet begun its mission in Gaza, the Executive Chairman has already set his sights on bigger things: “The Board of Peace has unlimited potential… ultimately, far beyond Gaza — WORLD PEACE!”
This prevalent sentiment led many European nations– including France, Norway, and Sweden to “publicly decline their invitations citing concern for infringing on the United Nations.” Tensions between the US and EU that began over Greenland have escalated, with Italy, Cyprus, and Greece sending non-participant observers– as well as the EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean– to monitor proceedings at the 19 February meeting in DC. Canada is another notable absence on the Board; it saw its invitation revoked after harsh public words were exchanged between Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Trump, sparking a diplomatic feud.
While it’s tempting to speculate on states’ different reasons for declining, it’s important to regard with suspicion the nations that have joined the Board, particularly those with few ties to Gaza. Argentina joined with the honorable intention to “stand with countries that confront terrorism head on, defend life and property, and promote peace and freedom.” In contrast, President Lukashenko of Belarus stated, “What can we do there, helping Gaza too much? If we help, it won’t be much. But I’m attracted by the idea that maybe this Board of Peace, its actions and possibilities, will expand to other parts of the planet.” Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed their honor on joining an organization with a “mandate… based on practical cooperation, effective action, and result-oriented partnerships,” noting that “participation in this Board is strictly by invitation from the President of the United States of America.”
It’s essential that, despite this statement, the roles of President of the United States of America and Board of Peace Executive Chair are entirely separate, although President Trump currently holds both. The United States, the home of many of its executive board members, is technically a member state like any other. The BoP, though founded by the American president, is not to be an American organization. Nor can it simply be classified as a Western oversight of Middle Eastern affairs– it has become far too regionally diverse for that. Is it possible that President Trump is building a new United Nations, of which he fancies himself Secretary General?
The President’s business past led him to a transactional model for his Board; a permanent membership comes with a price tag of $1 billion, which has already been paid by the United Arab Emirates. In theory, this solves his complaint that some UN nations are not pulling their financial weight. The new concern, though, is just how much authority this board will have, and how easily it can be bought. An alarming majority of confirmed BoP members are categorized as ‘Not Free’ by Freedom House, an organization that assesses political and civil rights globally. Whatever power this board does accrue will undoubtedly be managed by Donald Trump, to be doled out as he sees fit to an array of revisionist and authoritarian nations. On the smallest scale, this is yet another flimsy attempt at peace in the Middle East, but on the grandest? We could be looking at a new United Nations, and to once again quote Executive Chairman Trump, “the most consequential International Body in History.” As of publication, that is yet to be seen.
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This article was edited by Catherine Hart Sheehy.
Cooper Toland 
Glenmarie Rios Rodriguez 
Domenick Fedele