On Thursday at 10:30, on the sidelines of the Davos Summit, the President of the United States has convened an event, with great fanfare, for the signing of the Charter of the Peace Board. Donald Trump is excited about the project and has sent dozens and dozens of invitations in recent days to heads of state and government to join his initiative to give life to "a more agile and effective international peace consolidation body" that "would guarantee lasting peace in conflict-affected or threatened areas." Some countries have immediately accepted, others have temporarily declined, and a good number have simply confirmed the receipt of the offer without commenting. The big problem is that no one knows exactly what this Peace Board would be, what Trump is planning, who would be part of it... and what the cost would be, both to join or reject it.
The idea of a Peace Board was born within the framework of proposals to stop the war in Gaza. Trump came up with a group of wise men, or something similar, under his supervision, in charge of governing the Strip temporarily. Local authorities and international figures. Four days ago, the White House actually announced the formation of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), with its 20-point roadmap for "lasting peace, stability, reconstruction, and prosperity in the region." But almost at the same time, and more discreetly, he sent to international foreign ministries the offer for something much more ambitious, accompanying the invitation with a seven-page, 13-point document with the provocative name of the founding Charter, a clear nod to the United Nations Charter.
The president has not been very clear yet, saving the details for his interventions in Davos. But he does seem to have outlined an alternative and parallel Permanent Security Council to the UN and completely tailored to him. A toy with no precedent, no external controls, that he would absolutely control, even if he ceases to be the president of the US. Everything. Every step, every member, every meeting. Even the official seal or the headquarters are within the president's competence. After presenting himself to the world as responsible for Gaza or interim president of Venezuela, he now wants to be the global 'chairman.'
Since Friday, without giving hardly any room for reaction and with enormous diplomatic pressure, he has reached out not only to his theoretically allied countries, from the EU to Japan, from Canada to Australia, but also to Russia, China, India, Belarus, Turkey, or the Gulf countries. The impact, while threatening to forcibly annex Greenland, is undeniable. The American president has even put up for auction the permanent positions of that Board, asking up to 1 billion dollars for them as a donation. Governments like Hungary, Argentina, or Vietnam have enthusiastically accepted, but with no intention of paying that amount. Israel has shown great concern about the prominent role of Ankara and Doha in some of the subcommittees. And Europeans do not know how to address the issue.
Trump and his government have no interest or respect for the UN and believe that an initiative of this kind, controlled by him (it is not clear what would happen with that money, except that Trump would be the ultimate manager), is much better. Supporters of an international rules-based order and multilateral institutions are terrified at the possibility of further undermining the credibility and capacity of the UN by betting, even symbolically or resignedly to please Trump's infinite ego, on senseless initiatives. But at the same time, they suspect that not participating in something like this would result in Trump wanting to decide the fate of the planet in a forum dominated only by his unconditional supporters, dictatorships, autocracies, and proponents of illiberalism.
When Emmanuel Macron said over the weekend that France had no intention of participating in what he considers little more than a mockery, at best, and a threat to the international order at worst, Trump responded with his preferred mechanism: tariff threats, "Well, nobody wants him [Macron] because he will leave office very soon. So, you know, that's fine. What I will do is, if they show hostility, impose a 200% tariff on their wines and champagne, and he will join. But he doesn't have to join," he warned in his usual tone.
The project would give Trump, not the US president, total powers and enormous discretion. Starting with choosing, completely at will, who to invite to join, both states and members of his Board of Directors. It is also his prerogative to expel, approve, or veto proposals, as well as the agenda and location of meetings. His mandate has no maximum term, and gives him "exclusive authority to create, modify, or dissolve subsidiary entities as necessary or appropriate to fulfill the Peace Board's mission."
The Charter begins by "regretting that too many peace consolidation approaches foster perpetual dependence and institutionalize crises instead of leading people to overcome them." And proposes that each Member State serve a mandate for a maximum of three years, "subject to renewal by the president." However, the three-year term would not apply to those who contribute one billion dollars in cash to the Peace Board during the first year after the Charter enters into force.
Trump, a businessman, believes that conventional diplomacy is senseless and that international affairs should be resolved as opposing companies would, with agreements between omnipotent leaders. And that global governance has failed because the mechanisms are inefficient, uneconomical. In his mindset, a Board of Directors with a powerful CEO is the best, the only option. And that applies to governing the US and governing the world. Preferably, with his family and friends sitting at the table.