Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
23 January 2026 | 12:52 CAT
3-minute read

Board of peace is Trump’s thinly veiled attempt to launch new world order

On Thursday, Trump announced his new “Board of Peace” in Davos, Switzerland. Trump has said the Board of Peace was established to oversee post-war reconstruction in Gaza, although there is widespread criticism for Trump’s thinly-veiled attempt to launch a new world order.

During this week’s Middle East Report on Radio Islam International, analyst James M Dorsey discussed the framework, warning that it isn’t off to a good start and raises more questions than it provides answers.

“Like US claims to Greenland, the just-formed board of peace is about much more than Greenland or Gaza. It’s about crafting a new world order in Donald Trump’s mould,” Dorsey explained.

Shortly after Trump expressed frustration at failing to win the Nobel Peace Prize, he launched the board to cast himself as a global peacemaker. The first point of order on the board’s agenda is Gaza, with an announcement yesterday that the Rafah border crossing will open next week. Ali Shaath, head of the newly established National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) made the announcement via videolink during an event at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

While opening the Rafah crossing is essential, it is unlikely that Israel will surrender control to allow the free passage of goods and people in and out of the enclave. Trump’s announcement also lacks the promise of a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza or a reference to Palestinian national aspirations, Dorsey explained.

“If anything, underlying the board’s projection of post-war Gaza as an investment opportunity reflects a longstanding belief in the Trump camp and Israel that economic development will push Palestinian national aspirations to the background,” he added.

Saudi-UAE rift reshapes regional alliances

Differences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE are reverberating across the greater Middle East since the kingdom forced the UAE to withdraw from Yemen. Analysts suggest that Saudi Arabia has been gearing up to rearrange the region’s security architecture and has since strengthened ties with Somalia.

Somalia has ended military cooperation with the UAE and Egypt and aligned itself with Riyadh, including backing the Sudanese armed forces in Sudan’s civil war against the UAE-supported Rapid Support Forces. This Saudi-Somali cooperation follows a separate mutual defence agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The growing rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE has also complicated Israeli regional ambitions, especially after the UAE helped facilitate Israeli recognition of Somaliland, a breakaway Somali region, giving Israel a foothold in the Horn of Africa. At the same time, Saudi Arabia has adopted a more openly critical tone towards Israel, reflected in both media coverage and religious sermons.

The discussion turned to an analysis of Trump’s belief that he is a leader who can act freely, without being held back by democratic rules, coalition partners or parliamentary oversight — constrains that allegedly limit leaders such as Netanyahu and other European heads of government.

“In Trump’s eyes, Israeli PM Netanyahu, like other European leaders, are weak because they are constrained by diplomatic niceties, parliamentary oversight and pesky coalition partners,” Dorsey said.

Trump’s strongman view shapes Middle East diplomacy

In Trump’s view, strong leaders who centralise power, such as Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syria’s President Ahmad al-Shara, are effective because they can act decisively without being slowed by diplomatic conventions or international law.

This outlook has helped Turkey emerge as a key beneficiary of Trump’s proposed board of peace, with Ankara joining the signing of its charter despite Israeli objections over Turkey’s ties to Hamas, as well as Israel’s opposition to Qatar’s inclusion.

By contrast, Trump sees Netanyahu as politically weak, constrained by coalition politics, which left the Israeli leader little choice but to join the initiative, partly in the hope of delaying the next phase of Trump’s ceasefire plan.

Trump’s admiration for strong leadership, however, does not extend to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Although protests in Iran have been suppressed, economic pressures and sanctions remain unresolved, making some form of engagement with the United States increasingly necessary.

While Trump has said he is open to talks and keeps military options on the table, his demands – particularly limiting Iran’s ballistic missile programme, which forms the backbone of its defence – place Tehran in a difficult position, leaving its next move uncertain.

“Perhaps the most difficult condition is curbing Iran’s ballistic missiles program. With no Air Force or Navy to speak of, ballistic missiles constitute the core of Iranian defence, all of which puts Iran in a catch-22,” Dorsey said.

Watch or listen to the Middle East Report with James Dorsey on Sabaahul Muslim, presented by Moulana Junaid Kharsany.