WHILE the ‘Board of Peace’ dreamt up by US President Donald Trump last year was supposed to address the violence in Gaza, now, as the body takes form, it is mutating into something much bigger. In effect, if media reports are correct, the board is shaping up to be a competitor to the UN, with Mr Trump in the driving seat, seeking to remake the international order as per his vision. Multiple media outlets have published details of what the board seeks to do, while Mr Trump has invited leaders from across the world, including Pakistan, to join this new endeavour.

Even though the UN was and is dominated by the so-called great powers that wield a veto in the Security Council, it appears that in the Board of Peace, Donald Trump’s word will be law. The American leader is slated to hold “indefinite chairmanship” of the body, while he will also possess veto power. Furthermore, those states willing to cough up $1bn will be offered a permanent seat at the table; less moneyed states will have three-year terms that can be renewed if Mr Trump — as board chairman — deems it fit. Moving beyond the Gaza genocide, the board may also seek to address other global conflicts. Moreover, the Trumpian board’s charter reportedly says that a “more nimble and effective” body is required for global peace, one that has the “courage to depart from … institutions that have too often failed”. This strengthens fears that the board seeks to displace the UN as the world’s primary peacemaking body.

There is much that needs to be fixed in the UN system, as the world body has failed to act at critical junctures, most recently, for example, in the Gaza slaughter. But is the solution reform, or a Trumpian board? The answer seems clear. Mr Trump’s warmongering against Venezuela and Iran, and his threat to invade Greenland, are ample evidence of his lack of peacemaking abilities. If anything, in his second term he has embraced a muscular, militaristic US foreign policy that seeks to bully and cow into submission less powerful states, relying on gunboat diplomacy rather than genuine efforts to resolve disputes peacefully. The Foreign Office has confirmed that the prime minister has received Mr Trump’s invitation to join the board. However, considering the dubious antecedents of this board, and its questionable motives, Pakistan should consider politely declining. Instead, what is needed is true and meaningful reform at the UN, in order to make it a more democratic body that represents voices of the Global South. Seemingly neocolonial vanity projects such as the Board of Peace, designed to project Mr Trump’s grand foreign policy visions, are highly unlikely to bring peace to the world.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2026