US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" - an initiative aimed at overseeing Gaza's reconstruction - has been met with skepticism from most European countries. Only Hungary, Bulgaria, Spain, Britain, Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia have accepted invitations to join the board, while France turned it down due to concerns that the US president's vision goes beyond the scope of Gaza.
The board was signed into existence by UN Security Council Resolution 2803 last November, but Trump has broadened its mandate beyond Gaza, stating it will oversee areas affected or threatened by conflict. The move has been seen as an attempt to supplant the United Nations, which is meant to be fulfilling the same purpose.
Critics argue that this approach undermines multilateralism and hinders regional actors' ability to make deals independently. Trump's efforts have drawn comparisons with former US President George W Bush's "coalition of the willing" against Iraq in 2003, where he coaxed together a disparate group of countries into forming an alliance.
The invitation list has been seen as carefully curated, aiming to bind middle powers - smaller nations often stuck between great power rivalries - into a framework with Trump at its helm. This could potentially lead to a loss of autonomy and strategic capabilities for these nations, as Fieschi noted: "Here you bind them into an organisation that in some ways offers a framework with Trump in it and the US in it, and implies constraints."
Some have speculated that Trump's true intention is to counterbalance agglomerations of power and legitimacy. Fieschi argued that he was trying to create an alternative to multilateralism by binding these nations into an organization that would imply constraints.
However, critics also point out that Trump plans to charge a membership fee for the board, which some see as an example of "crass oligarchic motivation". The lack of transparency surrounding the board's finances and operations has also raised concerns about its legitimacy.
The board was signed into existence by UN Security Council Resolution 2803 last November, but Trump has broadened its mandate beyond Gaza, stating it will oversee areas affected or threatened by conflict. The move has been seen as an attempt to supplant the United Nations, which is meant to be fulfilling the same purpose.
Critics argue that this approach undermines multilateralism and hinders regional actors' ability to make deals independently. Trump's efforts have drawn comparisons with former US President George W Bush's "coalition of the willing" against Iraq in 2003, where he coaxed together a disparate group of countries into forming an alliance.
The invitation list has been seen as carefully curated, aiming to bind middle powers - smaller nations often stuck between great power rivalries - into a framework with Trump at its helm. This could potentially lead to a loss of autonomy and strategic capabilities for these nations, as Fieschi noted: "Here you bind them into an organisation that in some ways offers a framework with Trump in it and the US in it, and implies constraints."
Some have speculated that Trump's true intention is to counterbalance agglomerations of power and legitimacy. Fieschi argued that he was trying to create an alternative to multilateralism by binding these nations into an organization that would imply constraints.
However, critics also point out that Trump plans to charge a membership fee for the board, which some see as an example of "crass oligarchic motivation". The lack of transparency surrounding the board's finances and operations has also raised concerns about its legitimacy.
... so like trump thinks he can just create his own 'board' to deal with conflicts without even consulting the rest of the world? 
that's basically just a way for him to push his own agenda and get what he wants, which is kinda shady. 
and yeah idc if ppl call it multilateralism or whatever, it's still an attempt to take over the UN's role and stuff like that. 
like he wants to create a framework that makes him & the US top dog again, which is just not cool 
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. It's like, if they wanna help Gaza, let's stick to the UN framework, right? But nope, Trump wants his own way. And what really gets me is that some countries are just gonna join up because of their own interests 
. Trump's always been a bit of a wild card, but this is just crazy talk 
. I don't think multilateralism is dead yet, we still need it to keep us all from going off in different directions 
.
It feels like Trump is trying to manipulate countries into doing his bidding, while undermining the UN's role in resolving conflicts. I mean, come on, who needs an invitation list that's more like a carefully curated clique? And what's up with charging membership fees? Sounds like some shady business dealings going down... 
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. I mean, Poland and Hungary have been super cozy with Russia, so it's no surprise they're on board. It just feels like Trump is trying to play both sides against each other.
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. But for everyone else, this feels like a major red flag 
. like, what's next? him starting his own international basketball league or something? 
seriously though, it does seem like a pretty obvious attempt to undermine the UN and just impose US influence wherever he goes...
this is rich! so trump wants to build his own peace squad and just invite whoever he feels like? 
and everyone else is wondering if this whole thing is just a bunch of hooey 
. And what's with the weird membership fee thing? Is he charging these countries to join his little club? It's all so shady 
. It's like he thinks he can just dictate what countries do without having to compromise or work with anyone else 
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