Trump says ending Ukraine war merits his Nobel Prize

After partial dismantlement, its staff downsized, and its headquarters building seized by the current administration, the United States Institute of Peace has been rebranded as the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace. On Thursday, it was the site of the signing of a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Trump has claimed he has ended eight wars during the first eight months of his second term. The latest being the war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza. While a tenuous ceasefire is in place, Trump's peace deal remains stalled over Hamas refusal to disarm and Israel's refusal to withdraw its troops from 53 per cent of the coastal enclave. This amounts to a major blow to Trump as a peacemaker.

Trump has also failed to secure substantial troops for the proposed 20,000-strong Inter-national Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza. Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, Italy, and Azerbaijan have expressed reservations about providing troops while Arab Gulf states have decided not to participate. They argue the ISF has no clear mandate or well-defined mission. Arab and Muslim governments refuse to fight Hamas militiamen who dominate Gaza or become a second foreign occupation force while the Israeli army remains in the strip. This would look like collaboration and could ignite popular protests across the Arab world.

The delay over the establishment of the ISF has stalled implementation of Trump's 20-point October 10th plan to end the Gaza war. Hamas agreed to and implemented only the first phase of the plan by releasing Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Hamas agreed to hand over Gaza's governance to a committee of Palestinian technocrats but has refused to renounce its influence in the strip. On weapons, Hamas has adopted a defiant policy by not onlyl holding onto the arms in its possession but also adding to its arsenal. Hamas has also tried to upgrade security and services for Palestinians who live in the portion of the enclave the group occupies.

Until the ISF is deployed and Hamas is disarmed, Israel has refused to pull out its troops, blocking the Palestinian take over of the administration ahead of reconstruction. Gaza and its 2.2 million Palestinian residents are, consequentl,y faced with a weak ceasefire and little hope of improvement. While Hamas remains committed, Israel has violated the ceasefire more than 500 times, killing at least 356 Palestinians, thereby increasing the death toll in Gaza to over 70,000 over the past two years. While in breach of the ceasefire deal, Israel continues to limit deliveries of food, medicine and water to Gaza, prolonging the misery of its residents and maintaining international attention on Gaza.

The seven other wars Trump claims to have halted were between Israel and Iran, Pakistan and India, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo. However, several of these "wars" amounted to brief skirmishes, in one there was no fighting, and Egypt and Ethiopia are currently vigorously disputing Ethiopia's massive dam on the Nile River, reducing its flow to Sudan and Egypt.

Why is Trump promoting himself as a peacemaker? Trump has made no secret about his ambition to be awarded the century-old Nobel Peace Prize. This is conferred on a person or organisation that “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Trump's timing is pertinent. The Nobel Committee decides on potential candidates in January and finalises its choice in July.

This is why Trump is now claiming that if he ends the war between Russia and Ukraine, he will get the Nobel Prize. He asked, “What about the other eight wars? I should get the Nobel Prize for every war, but I don't want to be greedy." Latest efforts to end the Russo-Ukraine war have failed.

Of the 106 Nobel Peace Prizes conferred since its founding in 1901, four have gone to persons who were US presidents either during or after their terms in office. Theodore Roosevelt received the prize in 1906 for mediating an end to a war between Russia and Japan. Woodrow Wilson won the 1919 award for being the “leading architect” behind the establishment of League of Nations which was created to promote global peace in the wake of World War I. After leaving office, Jimmy Carter was given the award in 2002 for “undertaking peace negotiations [between Egypt and Israel], campaigning for human rights, and working for social welfare.” Barack Obama received the prize in 2009 for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” and his commitment to rid the world of nuclear arms, the Nobel Prize website stated. Riled by the choice of Obama, a jealous Trump never ceases to rubbish his predecessor's record in office.

The Nobel Committee will examine not only Trump's international interventions but also investigate his actions in the US which are not encouraging as far as his bid for the prize is concerned. While Obama tried and failed to secure peace on the home front between warring Democrats and Republicans, Trump has fanned the flames of discord. Trump associates have used social media platforms to target immigrant communities. He has verbally abused US citizens of Somali background and deployed US national guardsmen to tackle crime in Democrat-held cities and states whether crimes rates are high or not. Trump should not b e encouraged to continue his bad behaviour.

Nevertheless, to soften is disappointment over his failure to win the Nobel Prize, the football federation FIFA, presented Trump with its first ever peace prize. This was criticised by FIFA members and high-profile figures who argue such an award violates the organisation's commitment to neutrality and non-interference in political affairs. They also oppose Trump's immigration policies and his take-over of the Kennedy Centre, the nation's premier cultural institution, and appointment of himself as head of its board of directors which he has stacked with his proxies. Instead of classical music concerts and arts exhibitions, the centre has hosted events for freed Israeli captives and a memorial for the late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.