Uncategorized – IPB – International Peace Bureau

NATO and the Current Conjuncture

Anuradha Chenoy | May 21, 2026

The US seeks to retain global primacy, but its strategic weaknesses are evident in 3 events: (i) Iran’s ability to retain its state structure and leadership; leverage oil and the Straits of Hormuz despite US-Israeli aggression and attempts for de-stabilization. Resistance groups in Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen remain. (ii) US inability to sustain funding and arms support to the Russia-Ukraine war (iii) China’s rise as ‘near peer’. The Trump-Xi meeting (May 15-16, 2026) established the two as equal powers- something the US has not experienced for decades since unipolar hegemony. Trump calls this ‘G2’, Rubio acknowledges this as “strategic stability point”. Chinese see this as a period of ‘strategic stalemate’. So, the Indo-Pacific (Asia Pacific) will remain a theatre of intense but ‘managed’ competition. This is a paradigm shift in international politics. The US seeks domination as usual while China seeks parity. This competition has global impacts.

América Latina: No a la Guerra, No a la OTAN

Pablo Ruiz E.*
Spanish | English. Please see the English translation below.

Desde América del Sur observamos con mucha preocupación la política, maniobras y ejercicios militares que realizan los países miembros de la OTAN en el mundo y que pueden desencadenar una tercera guerra mundial que tendría consecuencias devastadora para todos los países, incluida América Latina, ya que una tercera guerra mundial contra Rusia o China, eventualmente, podría involucrar armas nucleares.

De acuerdo al Centro Estratégico Latinoamericano de Geopolítica (CELAG):

Colombia: Es socio global de la OTAN desde 2018, lo que implica una cooperación estrecha en seguridad, aunque no es miembro pleno.
Perú: Designado en 2026 como aliado principal no miembro de la OTAN por EEUU, facilitando cooperación en defensa y tecnología. Además, cuenta con certificación Nivel 2 en catalogación OTAN.
Argentina: Mantiene el estatus de aliado importante extra-OTAN desde 1998, fortaleciendo sus lazos.
Chile: Vinculado desde 2004 al Sistema OTAN de Catalogación (SOC), avanzando en modernización logística con software de la alianza.
Brasil: Usuario del sistema de catalogación de la OTAN y reconocido aliado importante de la OTAN.

Trump’s Board of Peace, the UN, Gaza and Opportunism

By Anuradha Chenoy

Anuradha Chenoy is an IPB Board member. The thoughts in this article are
her own and do not necessarily reflect those of the IPB.

Nothing can be more cynical than President Donald Trump’s proposal for a new “Board of Peace” (BoP). Marketed as an international peace-building organization, this initiative would enact a self-serving mechanism that bypasses established international institutions while offering a premium seat on the table of global affairs in exchange for a $1 billion membership fee.

The BoP originates from Security Council Resolution 2803, 2025, which calls for a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, establishing a transitional body until 2027. This resolution contains specific mandates: an international stabilization force to facilitate the Israeli Defense Forces’ withdrawal and the full resumption of humanitarian aid through UN cooperation.

While the BoP is presented as a nimble and effective peace-delivering body, its Charter nevertheless omits any mention of Gaza. Instead, it transforms the peacekeeping mandate of the 2803 Resolution into a self-serving and self-gratifying body that criticizes the United Nations. Trump’s claim of the need to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed is his way of delegitimizing the UN. This criticism of international institutions is consistent with the US withdrawal from approximately 60 UN bodies under Trump’s administration.

Trump: Self-proclaimed emperor of world peace

The BoP Charter establishes Trump as the “inaugural Chairman” and the US representative with extraordinary powers that effectively create a lifetime position. The Chairman possesses exclusive authority to create, modify or dissolve any entity within the BoP, control membership invitations and dismissals and designate successors. Only if the Chairman is incapacitated can the Executive Board unanimously decide on a replacement. In other words, these provisions essentially declare Trump the emperor of world peace with his handpicked council.

The founding Executive Board reveals the nature of his intents. Members include Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, builder friend Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, World Bank President Ajay Banga and billionaire private equity chief Marc Rowan, blending family connections, political allies and corporate power, exposing the BoP’s private interests.

The $1 billion fee

While member states will serve a three-year term, they can secure permanent seats for over $1 billion. This creates a two-level system, where wealthy states using taxpayer money can purchase permanent influence over international peace efforts. Member states will be the funders of the BoP, along with unspecified “organizations”, which will likely be major technology companies openly supporting Trump and profit from global affairs.

The Charter declares that the BoP possesses “international legal personality with authority to enter contracts for its missions and for financial purposes. Disputes between members will be solved through “amicable collaboration”, with the Chairman having the final say. For example, both India and Pakistan have been invited to join; they could resolve disputes here, with the Chairman having the final say. This framework privatizes international diplomacy, transforming peace-building into a commercial opportunity controlled by those who can afford its entry.

Gaza: a real estate opportunity

The White House announced a Gaza Executive Board consisting of Kushner, Witkoff, Blair, Bulgarian billionaire Nikolai Mladenov, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali al-Thawadi. Israel has vociferously objected to the Turkish and Qatari names and is lobbying to reject this Board.

This Board will oversee a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza comprising Palestinian technocrats as administrators. What is notably absent from these arrangements is any reference to Palestinian rights, interests, rehabilitation, land, livelihood or statehood. The focus appears directed toward reconstruction contracts rather than justice or self-determination.

Meanwhile, the Israeli genocide continues in Gaza, sometimes under cover of other international events like Greenland’s fate or Ukraine’s dark bitter winter. On January 21, 2026, Israel seized and destroyed the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine, a blatant violation of international law that leaves Gaza with minimum support for its besieged population. Gaza health authorities report 70,000 people have been killed in this strip, with survivors being traumatized and besieged. So, the reconstruction question becomes: who benefits from rebuilding what some consider prime Mediterranean real estate?

Global reactions to the BoP

Countries such as Pakistan, Israel, UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Argentina, Hungary and Belarus have announced their intent to join the BoP. These are countries hoping to secure lucrative reconstruction contracts while accessing Trump’s inner circle. Russia is considering using frozen European-held assets to pay the $1 billion permanence fee. France’s refusal to join has been met with immediate threats of 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne, which demonstrates the coercive element behind an allegedly voluntary entry.

Others are still mulling over the invitation. For countries like India to join and become party to a neo-colonial venture that resembles a theatre of the absurd would not be prudent. China, on the other hand, has emerged as the primary defender of multilateral institutions against Trump’s unilateral reconstruction of the world order.

The larger pattern

The BoP initiative follows Trump’s 20-point plan from October 2025, which envisioned Gaza as a real investment bonanza: a new Riviera on the Mediterranean for rich Arabs and others. This reveals the BoP’s true purpose is not genuine peace-building but creating mechanisms for US hegemonic control through privatized international relations that dismantle established institutions.

The fundamental question for the international community is how many countries will fall in line with Trump’s vision and who will resist. The ones that stand by the UN will be the historic winners in this game of cloak and dagger, while those who purchase seats at Trump’s table will contribute to the erosion of international law and be complicit in the commodification of human suffering.

References

Charter of the Board of Peace, Full Text, The Times of Israel, 18 January, 2026, at: https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-charter-of-trumps-board-of-peace/#:~:text=The%20following%20is%20the%20full,by%20US%20President%20Donald%20Trump.

United nations Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025) UN, New York, 17 November 29025 at: https://press.un.org/en/2025/sc16225.doc.htm#:~:text=Security%20Council%20Authorizes%20International%20Stabilization,Gaza%2C%20Adopting%20Resolution%202803%20(2025)&text=Adoption%20Marks%20’New%20Course’%20for,Middle%20East

Demand the Immediate Release of Grzegorz Gawel

This petition calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Grzegorz Gawel, a Polish citizen unlawfully detained in Belarus. His imprisonment represents a clear violation of international human rights standards, including freedom of conscience, due process, and protection from arbitrary detention.

Grzegorz Gawel, a Polish Catholic monk and humanitarian, has been unlawfully detained in Belarus and recognized by human rights defenders as a political prisoner. He is being held incommunicado under fabricated espionage charges. We demand his immediate release and full respect for international human rights law.

Petition demands

Immediately and unconditionally release Grzegorz Gawel and drop all charges against him.
Guarantee immediate access to an independent lawyer and to representatives of the Polish consular services.
Disclose his place of detention and ensure independent medical supervision.
Cease the practice of forced confessions and propaganda broadcasts involving detainees.
End the misuse of “espionage” charges against religious figures, humanitarian workers and foreign nationals.
Respect international human rights obligations, including the ICCPR and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Why is this important?

We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Grzegorz Gawel, a Polish citizen, Catholic monk of the Carmelite Order, and a recognized political prisoner unlawfully detained in the Republic of Belarus.

Grzegorz Gawel was detained on 4 September 2025 by officers of the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) and charged under Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (“Espionage”). These accusations are manifestly unfounded and politically motivated, and have been officially rejected by the Government of the Republic of Poland.

Belarusian human rights organizations, including Our House and the Viasna Human Rights Center, have recognized Grzegorz Gawel as a political prisoner.

Since his detention, he has been held incommunicado. His place of detention has not been officially disclosed. There is no confirmed access to an independent lawyer or to Polish consular representatives. No court hearings have been scheduled. State media have broadcast so-called “confession” videos characteristic of coercion and psychological pressure.

As a religious figure engaged in humanitarian and missionary work, Grzegorz Gawel is being persecuted for reasons related to his identity, beliefs, and the broader repressive policies of the Belarusian authorities toward foreign nationals, religious actors, and civil society.

Recipients

This petition is formally addressed to:

United Nations Human Rights Committee
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)

Copies of this petition are sent to:

UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus
UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
European Union institutions responsible for human rights policy
Council of Europe bodies and monitoring mechanisms
Government of the Republic of Poland
Governments of democratic states

References

Full Article Here

Nuclear weapons in Europe do not make us safer – they make the world more dangerous

Oscar Ernerot of the Olof Palme International Center responds to Daniel Färm’s editorial in AiP arguing that Europe may need its own nuclear umbrella as America’s can no longer be trusted.

Nuclear weapons are increasingly discussed not as an existential threat to humanity, but as security-providing. Even within our own movement. This is an ominous development. More actors today have access to nuclear weapons, and the treaties that previously limited their proliferation have been weakened or are about to expire. Disarmament has stalled amidst dramatically increasing geopolitical tensions, where rhetoric surrounding the use of nuclear weapons is progressively worsening.

Military & conflict-related emissions & climate reparations for Palestine

A new report titled “Military & Conflict-Related Emissions & Climate Reparations for Palestine”, jointly prepared by Tipping Point North South and the Palestinian Institute for Climate Strategy, examines the environmental and climate impacts of military activity in the context of the ongoing conflict in Palestine.

The report is released to coincide with the civil society-led “Draw the Line” Global Week of Action, which takes place alongside the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and ahead of the UN Climate Summit (COP30) in Belém, Brazil.

Black Alliance for Peace Launches 5th International Month of Action Against AFRICOM

The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) has launched its 5th International Month of Action Against AFRICOM, a global campaign dedicated to raising awareness and mobilizing action against foreign military intervention in Africa. This year’s theme, “21st Century Neocolonialism: Capitalism, Compradors, and the Ongoing Scramble for Africa,” highlights ongoing issues of militarization, dependency, and the exploitation of African resources.

In Memoriam: Rudi Friedrich

Posted: July 22, 2025

It is with deep sorrow that we at the International Peace Bureau (IPB) join our colleagues at Connection e.V. and the international peace community in mourning the tragic passing of Rudi Friedrich, longtime Managing Director of Connection e.V., and a steadfast friend, colleague, and advocate in the global struggle for peace and conscientious objection.

Promoting Global Peace and Nuclear Disarmament: Reiner Braun Meets with His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad

Reiner Braun, German journalist, historian, renowned peace activist, and former Executive Director of the International Peace Bureau (IPB), was recently honored with a private audience with His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), the Fifth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Declare Neutrality and Help Prevent a U.S.-China War

Preamble:

Pacific and Pacific Rim countries are increasingly taking sides, or under pressure to take sides, in the growing confrontation between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China and are being urged to spend an increasing proportion of their public income on militarisation, to the detriment of addressing urgent social needs. A war between the USA and its allies against the People’s Republic of China and its allies would be disastrous for the people of the Pacific and Pacific Rim countries. Our survival depends upon preventing nuclear war and preserving our cultures and environments from irreversible destruction.

We, the Peoples of the Pacific and Pacific Rim countries, urgently call on each of our governments to adopt a neutral position, committing to reduce the likelihood and the scale of a U.S.-China war. Our governments should reaffirm existing maritime neutrality laws, implement country-specific neutrality policies, and refuse to participate in military escalation on any side.