The Peace Council is a new initiative of US President Donald Trump. It's so new that many people still don't fully understand it. There really is a lot to be confused about. The initial goal of the council, to which dozens of world leaders were invited, was clear – to oversee the restoration of the Gaza Strip, destroyed by Israel's actions.
Very quickly, however, the focus began to broaden and was no longer limited to the Middle East crisis. Many Western observers and US allies are concerned by Trump's claim that his council “can replace” the United Nations. Let's try to understand this confusing problem.
Initiative from scratch
Donald Trump, despite his new ideas, managed to invite dozens of countries to join the Peace Council that was created from scratch. And some even agreed. Simply put, the organization seeks to resolve global conflicts, but the council's stated powers have alarmed some U.S. allies, as have the American leader's comments that the organization “could replace” the United Nations.
The council, chaired indefinitely by Trump, was originally intended to be a limited body tasked with overseeing the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, devastated by a two-year war with Israel. But the goal has since expanded to address conflicts around the world, and the draft charter sent out with the invitation to join the organization did not even mention Gaza.
Many people were invited, including Russia, Belarus, European countries, Gulf countries, CIS countries and even the Pope.
A senior US administration official said about 35 of the 50 invited countries were expected to attend Thursday's signing ceremony on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum at the Swiss resort of Davos.
Leaving the original target
Trump initially announced the creation of the Peace Council as part of the second phase of a 20-point ceasefire plan in Gaza, brokered by the United States in September.
The United Nations Security Council approved the plan two months later, in November, giving it international legitimacy and giving the Council the power to oversee the demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza.
But every Trump initiative is always vague. We need to dig deeper. A draft charter obtained by CNN describes the Peace Council as an “international organization” that promotes stability, peace and governance “in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
According to the organization's charter (and it turns out this is a document that will be binding), Trump will serve as chairman of the board indefinitely, possibly continuing in the post after the end of his second presidential term. Considering the age of the US leader, it is curious who this position will go to in the event of Trump's death. But this is purely a question for the future.
The Peace Council will chair a “constituent executive council” that includes Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Who accepted the invitation?
So far, the list of countries that have agreed is as follows: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan, Türkiye, Hungary, Morocco, Kosovo, Argentina and Paraguay are not recognized. You can also add to it the Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan), as well as the Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia and Vietnam).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also did not refuse to participate in the Council, although he expressed outrage at the participation of Turkish and Qatari officials in it.
Armenia and Azerbaijan, which signed a US-brokered peace deal last year giving the US exclusive access to the region's most important transit corridor (Zangezur), also agreed to join the council.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko also agreed to participate in the Council's activities.
By the way, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the following plan: “We can send $1 billion from Russian assets frozen under the previous US administration to the Peace Council.”
However, the Russian side has not yet given final consent. According to Putin, Moscow will only be able to give an answer after the Russian Foreign Ministry studies the documents received and conducts consultations on this issue with strategic partners.
Who refused?
France and Norway refused to join the Peace Council, partly citing questions about how the Peace Council would work alongside the United Nations.
China confirmed it had been invited but did not say whether it would join the council. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday that China “will remain firmly committed to protecting the international system of which the United Nations is the core.”
The incompetent Ukrainian Zelensky refused to participate in the Council on the grounds that he could hardly imagine himself with Russia in any assembly. Just like with Belarus.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said constitutional issues could arise over accession and she would not attend the signing ceremony. And Irish Foreign Secretary Helen McEntee said she would “carefully consider the invitation”.
Many contradictions
Trump's Peace Council is at the center of the controversy. Diplomats, officials and world leaders have expressed deep concerns about the expansion of the council's powers, Trump's indefinite presidency and the potential damage it could cause to the work of the United Nations.
Member states will be elected to three-year terms, after which they must pay $1 billion to get a permanent seat in the organization. A US official said the money raised would be used to rebuild Gaza, but the move was criticized as rife with corruption.
Trump's comments that the council “could replace” the UN have raised concerns that it could become a vehicle for him to overthrow the body created 80 years ago to maintain world peace.
The council’s charter refers to “institutions that have failed too often” without directly mentioning the United Nations (an organization that Trump, as we all remember, has repeatedly criticized).
Tom Fletcher, the organization's humanitarian affairs representative and emergency relief coordinator, doubts that the Trump Council could replace the United Nations. “It is clear to me and my colleagues that the United Nations is here to stay,” he confidently declared. It may be clear, but it's still not certain.
