• U.S. no more a working democracy under Trump, says Nwagwu
“CONGRATULATIONS, President Donald Trump; the charter is now in full force, and the Board of Peace is now an official international organisation,” declared the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt.

The announcement, made yesterday during the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, signalled the unveiling and official launch of a new global body, the Board of Peace, ratified by the United States President, alongside other world leaders.

Although the board was originally set up to oversee a ceasefire of hostility in Gaza and subsequent reconstruction of the affected cities, its expansion into a permanent international body for global conflict mediation besides the United Nations (UN) has raised concerns of likely implications on the relevance of the latter in the scheme of things under Trump.

The new organisation has the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff; former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as executive board members.

Nineteen countries were represented at the signing of the Board charter, as many invited countries declined participation in what they feared had no clear-cut agenda. Moreso, a permanent membership of the body requires a fee of $1 billion.

While the charter aims to “secure enduring peace in areas threatened by conflict”, it has, nevertheless, drawn attention over its potential role as an alternative organisation to the UN.

Trump had, on January 7, announced the U.S. withdrawal from 66 international organisations, among which were 32 UN agencies, because they no longer serve American interests and allegedly promote “ineffective or hostile agenda.”

Considering that the U.S. contributes about one-fifth of the UN budget, the body is left with no option but to drastically reduce its activities and cut thousands of jobs to reduce expenditure.

While the world is still grappling with the impact of such a decision, raising the status of a peace initiative that was expected to last only two years to a permanent international organisation has heightened speculations about Trump’s intent and resolve to further whittle down the UN’s power.

Although the UN Security Council mandated the board last November, it was to span only through 2027 and to be solely focused on Gaza and as a transitional administration that will set the framework and coordinate funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority has satisfactorily reformed.

The UN had also authorised the board to deploy a temporary international stabilisation force in Gaza and report its progress to the 15-member Security Council every six months.

Unfortunately, it failed to stipulate its legal authority, enforcement tools or how it will work with the UN and other international organisations. Yet, it provided for Trump as Chairman with an extensive executive power, including the ability to veto decisions and remove members, “subject to some constraints.”

According to its charter, the board will undertake peace-building functions in accordance with international law.  However, recent happenings, especially the growing trans-Atlantic rift over Greenland, have raised apprehension that there may be hidden motives behind the organisation.

Reacting, the Executive Director, Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), Ezenwa Nwagwu, expressed fear that America under Trump “is no longer a working democracy” that once served as a role model for developing democracies.

He insisted that, beyond the UN system, President Trump had the penchant for overriding any institution he sees as having the ability to constrain or restrain him.

“He wants to be able to override institutions so that he can wake up any day and decide on what he wants to do without any structure challenging him. That is clear about his persona. He has developed the ability to ambush even old structures.

“With that power, he can go to Gaza or anywhere without the U.S. Senate, without anybody, and then he will come back to explain. So, it is the rise of a dictatorship. It is the first time we have seen the rise of an American dictatorship,” he said.

Nwagwu, therefore, urged the world’s middle powers to unite and resist “the current dictatorship”, otherwise, they would be forced into a war they didn’t plan for very soon.

But for the Registrar, Baze University, Professor Abiodun Adeniyi, the President of the U.S. (POTUS) should be given the benefit of the doubt while he is being dealt with diplomatically to avert further tension across the world. He stated that the development did not take him by surprise, considering that Trump tends to prioritise American hegemony.

The don also felt the new organisation would have been a welcome development if there was no existing body with a similar portfolio. He, however, frowned that over time, the UN has created an opportunity for critics to tag it a toothless bulldog, despite its ability in the past to achieve the purpose for which it was set up.