There’s been conflict ever since Trump created his Board of Peace. Here’s what it means for the UN

Donald Trump officially established his ‘Board of Peace’ in January this year. Not long after the president of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro was captured in a US operation. Pretty soon after that, the bombing of Iran and Lebanon began. Which makes it easy to forget the threats he volleyed towards Greenland. 

The Board of Peace was an attempt to sideline the UN as global peacemaker. And with conflicts raging, it’s certainly not having much success in that role. 

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“The Board of Peace needs to be taken seriously because it’s one of the symptoms of a dramatic change underway in world politics,” says Jane Kinninmont, CEO of the UNA-UK, a charity that aims to bolster support for the UN. 

“The US really wants to walk away from its previous role in the multilateral system. It’s not just about the Trump administration, we have seen an erosion of international law for quite some time and it’s speeding up now. 

“There is an onus on the UN and the countries that support it to reclaim their role in peacemaking. It’s not easy but everyone who wants to protect the UN needs to make it better.”  

The headquarters of the UNA-UK were once home to HG Wells. After World War I he argued for the idea of a ‘League of Nations’. Before the war, the idea was considered utopian. Afterwards, the concept was more appealing, with a world government able to deal with international disputes before they spiralled out of control.

Inaugurated in 1920, it ceased to exist in 1946, having not prevented another global conflict, and the United Nations took its place. 

Eighty years on, its role in the world is both needed more than ever but apparently more toothless too. 

Kinninmont wants the UK to abide by and stand up for international law. 

“Sometimes actions are more important than words,” she says. “Right now, European countries are tying themselves in knots about whether they should say things about Donald Trump’s America because they are worried about him retaliating.  

“Instead of being bullied into refusing to stand up for your beliefs you come together. If people are too afraid to stand up for it now, then they’ll see it eroding further and they’ll miss it when it’s gone.” 

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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