All hail Trump, peacemaker-in-chief
Just how many peace deals has Trump done? You might find the answer surprising but then Obama won a Nobel for less
In Donald Trump’s telling he’s “ended” at least six wars.
On Monday, August 18, he boasted to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and reporters in the White House: “I’ve ended six wars”.
On Tuesday, August 19, he told Fox News interviewers: “I’ve solved seven wars”.
In actual fact, Mr Trump’s track record is neither as dove-ish nor determinative as he claims.
All of this seems to be part of a global reality show with Mr Trump, a gifted star of the genre playing lead lobbyist for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious international honours, was last awarded to a US president in 2009 and the recipient was Mr Trump’s bete noire Barack Obama. The last Republican US president to receive a Nobel Peace Prize was Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
India and Pakistan
Ironically, Mr Trump is quarrelling with India about the extent of his peacemaking!
In May, Mr Trump claimed that he ended India and Pakistan’s four-day near-war. The nuclear-armed neighbours had engaged in drone and missile strikes on urban centres.
India disputed the claim that the US ended that conflict. This is unsurprising because India traditionally does not seek nor brook mediation in its relationships with neighbours.
However, Pakistan enthusiastically agreed that the US president had stopped the fighting and its government nominated Mr Trump for a Nobel. The strategic flattery appeared to re-position the South Asian neighbours in the eyes of America’s mercurial leader. Pakistan won a gold (okay, gilt) star. As for India, it’s on the naughty step.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
It’s fair to say that the Trump administration as well as the Gulf state of Qatar played a role in the temporary halt in hostilities between the central African countries.
In June, a pleased Mr Trump looked on as Rwanda and the DRC signed a preliminary peace deal at the White House. In July, they signed a ceasefire deal in Doha.
But…but…it was only a preliminary peace deal and merely a ceasefire.
By the middle of August, there was bloodshed again. The M23 armed group, which Rwanda is accused of backing, walked away from peace talks. Just days ago, the group killed at least 140 people in the eastern DRC, one of the M23’s worst atrocities since its 2021 resurgence, according to Human Rights Watch.
Rwanda is supporting Mr Trump for the Peace Prize. And Gabon’s President Brice Oligui Nguema has praised his peacemaking skills, saying, “He is now bringing peace back to a region where that was never possible, so I believe that he does deserve a Nobel Peace Prize. That is my opinion.”
Cambodia and Thailand
The fractious southeast Asian neighbours were at it in July and the sudden surge in military conflict left more than 40 dead and displaced more than 300,000. In late July, a ceasefire was brokered, mainly by Malaysia and its Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. China and the US also played some sort of role but not the kind Mr Trump has grandly claimed.
Two days before the ceasefire, he dangled trade deals as a prize to cease hostilities. He said on Truth Social that the US was “dealing on Trade with both Countries” but only if they stopped fighting. When the ceasefire was declared, he speedily claimed it was all down to him: “I am pleased to announce that, after the involvement of President Donald J. Trump, both Countries have reached a CEASEFIRE and PEACE.”
Cambodia is backing Mr Trump for a Nobel.
Armenia and Azerbaijan
The South Caucasus may be the only long-simmering conflict that Mr Trump has taken off the boil and influenced in a positive and lasting way. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a peace agreement in Washington, D.C. earlier this month to settle the dispute over the so-called Zangezur corridor. Claimed by both countries, the corridor will now be called the ‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity’ (TRIPP). A US company will get leasing rights to develop TRIPP.
Win-win all around!
And this peace agreement appears to be holding. Just days ago, Azerbaijan’s president declared that “the Armenia-Azerbaijan reconciliation process is nearly complete”.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have signalled support for Mr Trump’s claim to a Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel-Iran
Mr Trump joined with Israel in pounding Iran in June and then announced a ceasefire to end Israel and Iran 12-day conflict. There has been no return to active hostilities but it would be wrong to say the conflict is resolved.
This hasn’t stopped the Israeli government, led by Mr Trump’s ally Benjamin Netanyahu from nominating the US president for a Nobel.
Bits and pieces
Mr Trump has taken credit for making peace between Egypt and Ethiopia and Serbia and Kosovo.
Funny that.
Egypt and Ethiopia are not at war but they’re not at peace either. Both have argued for years about a hydroelectric dam, the largest in Africa. Ethiopia began building it in 2011. Last month, Ethiopia’s prime minister (who did win a Nobel Peace Prize before launching a war!) said the contested Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile was complete. Egypt, which fears the dam will cut the water supply it relies on for agriculture, is still seeking a binding deal on water sharing.
The White House has also claimed that Mr Trump ended conflict between Serbia and Kosovo.
What gives? The two countries have not been engaged in direct conflict since the late 1990s but their relationship remains tense. In his first presidential term, Mr Trump did help agree an economic normalisation deal between Serbia and Kosovo but that’s not to say they’re best friends now!
In summary, Mr Trump can justifiably claim one peace deal. That’s good. It’s more than many leaders manage in a lifetime.
As for whether it’s enough to win Mr Trump a Nobel? Truth to tell, Barack Obama won the Peace Prize for less.
