US President Donald Trump
Credit: Reuters Photo
The Board of Peace, proposed by US President Donald Trump as a new international entity of nations, lacks a clear definition, structure, and purpose. He formally launched its charter last week in Davos and it looks different from his earlier announcement about it. The board was intended as part of his Phase 2 plan for peace in Gaza, covering the region’s administration and reconstruction. Its scope is now wider. The charter does not mention Gaza, and it will be an “international peace-keeping body.’’ Trump says it will work with the United Nations but he had also suggested recently that it might “replace” the UN. Trump will chair the body as a person, not as the US President, for as long as he wants, and will name his successor. His personal nominees, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, are on the board. He will have the power to terminate the membership of any country.
India has been invited to join the board but it has not taken a decision yet. India has supported the Palestinian cause and a two-state solution for the problem, though the Narendra Modi government’s position has seen some dilution in the recent past. Some important Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have joined the board. The US may try to persuade India to join it using the bargaining counters it has in its armour. But it may not be advisable for India to join the board when its mandate is not clear. Trump’s idea of peace and reconstruction in Gaza is very different from the idea of peace that most other countries have. Kushner has unveiled a real estate development plan for Gaza, including building of skyscrapers there. Palestinian leaders are not members of the board. The wider mandate for the board may lead it to intervene in other parts of the world and try to solve other problems, such as the one in Kashmir. So India has to exercise caution before taking a decision.
Only 62 countries have been invited to join the board and 19 of them have signed its chapter. Not one of them has paid the one billion dollar fee for a permanent membership. America’s major allies, including members of the European Union, have stayed away till now. The UK and France have indicated that they would not join the board, and China and Russia have not made their positions clear. From the design and structure of the Board of Peace, it is clear that it will be Trump’s personal body. There is a strong view that it will undermine the authority of the UN. It is not in India’s interest to respond to it in a hurry.