Trump Formally Launches Controversial “Board of Peace” Amid Snubs from Major Western Allies

In a stark departure from the traditional multilateralism of the World Economic Forum, U.S. President Donald Trump has officially inaugurated the “Board of Peace.” Dubbed an international organization meant to supplant or work alongside the UN, the launch featured a hand-picked assembly of leaders including Javier Milei (Argentina), Viktor Orban (Hungary), and Prabowo Subianto (Indonesia). While Trump hailed the event as a “thumping success,” the gathering was marked by the absence of G7 leaders and a brewing controversy over forged support, with Belgium explicitly denying it had signed the charter despite being listed as a founding member by the White House.

The “Board of Peace” Architecture

The Board is designed as a new diplomatic vehicle led by the United States, diverging from the United Nations’ traditional conflict-resolution framework.

• The Visionaries: Brainstormed by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff following the Gaza peace plan.

• The Leadership: Trump is appointed as Chair for life (in theory), with the right to stay past his presidential term.

• The Mechanism: Operates as a centralized “strongman” diplomatic hub, prioritizing direct negotiation over bureaucratic consensus.

• First Official Act: Declaration of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, one of eight conflicts Trump claims to have resolved.

Founding Members & Notable Attendees

Trump described the attendees as the “most powerful people in the world,” though the room consisted of fewer than 20 leaders:

Leader	Country	Context
Viktor Orban	Hungary	Traveled to Davos exclusively for Trump; a vocal critic of the EU and WEF.
Javier Milei	Argentina	The “iconoclastic” ally and free-market advocate.
Prabowo Subianto	Indonesia	Former military general and current Indonesian president.
Ilgam Aliyev & Nikol Pashinyan	Azerbaijan & Armenia	Positioned on either side of Trump to symbolize a new peace era.
Aleksandr Lukashenko (Rep.)	Belarus	Represented by diplomatic envoys; frequently termed “Europe’s last dictator.”

Controversies & Snubs

The launch was clouded by diplomatic friction and significant absences:

• The “Greenland Spat”: Ongoing tensions over Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland effectively torpedoed participation from most European leaders.

• The Putin Factor: Vladimir Putin is reportedly seeking a permanent spot on the panel using frozen assets—a move Trump called “fine,” but which has “appalled” nations supporting Ukraine.

• The Belgium Denial: In a major diplomatic embarrassment, Belgium denied signing the charter after the White House included them in the official list of backing countries.

• The Macron Snub: France’s Emmanuel Macron publicly boycotted the event, leading to a public berating from Trump.

The creation of the Board of Peace signals a definitive move toward a bilateral, transactional world order. While Trump claims the Board will work “in conjunction” with the UN, his rhetoric—describing the 80-year-old institution as “useless”—suggests a strategic attempt to shift the global center of gravity to Washington D.C., where the first official conference is scheduled to be held in the coming weeks. For many Western allies, the Board represents a “gallery of rogues,” while for its members, it offers a new axis of power outside traditional liberal democratic constraints.