Trump’s Pursuit of Peace: Fanfare,Ceasefires,and a FIFA Prize
A persistent desire for recognition,particularly the Nobel Peace Prize,has fueled former President Donald Trump’s claims of resolving numerous global conflicts. While celebrating purported successes, a closer examination reveals a pattern of brokering temporary ceasefires frequently enough lacking the depth and durability of true peace agreements.
According to a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign relations, President Trump consistently “trumpets every one of thes deals as being essentially peace in our time,” but these pronouncements are ofen “overhyped and oversold.” The core issue, the analyst explained, is that these negotiations frequently result in ceasefires rather than comprehensive peace agreements. “With the ceasefire, it can flare up into fighting at any moment,” they cautioned.
The Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord between Thailand and Cambodia, hailed in late October, quickly deteriorated, with renewed clashes erupting within a month and again in the following weeks. Similarly, a deal reached during the summer between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, though formally signed earlier this month, did not prevent ongoing fighting even as both sides participated in a ceremony in Washington celebrating what Trump termed a “glorious triumph.”
The Limits of Washington Diplomacy
A former U.S. ambassador to NATO asserted that lasting resolutions to deeply rooted international problems cannot be achieved simply by signing agreements in Washington. “That takes painstaking diplomacy, hard work and a lot of time,” the ambassador stated. “And unless you can find a way to resolve the underlying conflict, countries are willing to use force to get their way.”
However, Trump’s unconventional approach has yielded some unexpected results. A senior director at the Atlantic Council noted that the former president’s style of “declaring victory before it’s achieved” can compel other parties to work towards fulfilling the terms of an agreement, as seen in the case of Gaza. Trump claimed to have ended a 3,000-year-old Arab-Israeli conflict and secured the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Yet, despite these gains, low-level fighting persists, and a long-term resolution remains elusive. “We haven’t been able to move beyond the ceasefire and the exchange of hostages to building a lasting, peaceful situation in Gaza,” the former ambassador explained, “let alone a lasting, peaceful situation between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Trump also brokered a peace deal between Israel and Iran, following U.S. military action against Iranian nuclear sites.His attempts to mediate between India and Pakistan, though, strained U.S.-India relations after prime Minister narendra Modi disputed Trump’s claims of involvement, leading to the imposition of 50% tariffs on most U.S. imports from India. One analyst suggested the tariffs were motivated by Trump’s frustration with Modi’s reluctance to acknowledge his role in the India-Pakistan discussions.
Normalization and Ongoing Challenges
Despite these setbacks, the Atlantic Council’s senior director acknowledged Trump’s success in normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab nations – including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and morocco – during his first term. “It’s pretty remarkable, getting these countries to recognize israel and open up trade and travel,” they said.
Conflicts in Ukraine and Russia, however, remain largely beyond Trump’s reach. Moreover, his pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize has created confusing signals, particularly regarding his confrontational stance towards Venezuela, a policy that could potentially escalate into war – a direct contradiction to the image of a peacemaker. This year’s Nobel Peace prize was ultimately awarded to María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader.
Despite missing out on the Nobel Prize, Trump has received at least one award recognizing his peace efforts: the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, presented to him earlier this month during the FIFA World cup 2026 Official draw in Washington, D.C. The honor included a large gold medal.
