Trump’s new Peace Council initiative raises concerns among allies as U.S. criticism of global organizations coincides with massive UN arrears.
Trump’s Peace Council Sparks Concern Among Allies
Trump’s Peace Council project, inaugurated Thursday in Washington, has raised concerns among many U.S. allies. They fear the new initiative could become a competing forum for solving global problems alongside the UN.
The White House host is aware of this. That’s why on Thursday, he tried to present the new structure as an entity working in close cooperation with the UN, not as one that would weaken it.
U.S. Owes $4 Billion in UN Dues
Financial assistance is indeed needed. In February, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the organization is facing an “inevitable financial collapse” due to outstanding dues.
However, the problem is that nearly $4 billion of the arrears (over 95% of the regular UN budget arrears) comes from the United States. Delays in paying dues are not new, but over the past year, the problem has clearly worsened after Donald Trump withdrew from several UN projects, claiming they were merely a “waste of taxpayers’ money.”
Trump’s Disdain for UN Structure
The point is that Trump doesn’t want a strong UN because the organization simply annoys him. The American leader doesn’t want a forum that reflects the sensitivities of 193 member countries, but rather a club that could strengthen the global power of the US and serve exclusively their interests.
Although at this moment neither China nor Russia seem very interested in Trump’s new project. It’s also about ego, which won’t be satisfied by the UN’s extensive bureaucracy and collegial decision-making mechanisms.
Claims of Conflict Resolution vs. Reality
The question arises whether, regardless of motivation, the new initiative could prove more effective in extinguishing conflicts than the UN. Certainly Donald Trump would want that.
On Thursday, he declared that the war in the Gaza Strip is already over, and all that remains are “small sparks.” However, the situation on the ground does not suggest this. Since the U.S.-brokered October ceasefire, 600 Palestinians have been killed, the Israeli army shows no willingness to withdraw from the Palestinian enclave, and without that, Hamas will not want to talk about disarmament.
Peaceful Intentions Questioned
It’s also difficult to speak of Trump’s peaceful intentions, who in Washington threatened Iran that “really bad things” will happen if they do not reach an agreement on the nuclear program within 10-15 days.
The military informed the U.S. president that it is ready to attack as early as this weekend, and the threat looks increasingly serious, with the appearance in the waters of the Middle East of a second U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, which previously served in the vicinity of Latin America.