US President Donald Trump is struggling to attract Western allies to his “Board of Peace,” but so far he has garnered the support of Middle Eastern monarchs, the man known as Europe’s last dictator and at least one leader wanted for alleged war crimes.
Trump has invited dozens of countries to join the board that seeks to resolve global conflicts, but its remit has alarmed several US allies, as has the US leader’s comment that it “might” replace the United Nations.
The board, indefinitely chaired by Trump, was originally conceived as a limited body tasked with overseeing the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which was devastated by Israel’s two-year war. However, its purpose has since expanded to tackle conflicts the world over, and the charter draft, which was sent along with the invitations to join, does not even reference Gaza.
US adversaries Russia and China, as well as longtime repressive state Belarus, are among those invited to join the board, which is offering permanent seats for a $1 billion price tag. European allies, oil-rich Arab states of the Persian Gulf, former Soviet republics and even the pope have also received invitations to join.
But a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos was attended by fewer than 20 countries — mostly from the Middle East, Asia and South America — far fewer than the roughly 35 that a senior administration official predicted to reporters earlier this week. European leaders were visibly absent. The only Western European nation represented was Hungary, one of Russia’s closest allies in Europe.
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