Trump’s Billion-Dollar Board of Peace

magine you’re the president of a midsize country, and you’re offered a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. The only condition: You have to pay the secretary-general of the United Nations $1 billion.

This is something like what Donald Trump is now offering world leaders.

The U.S. president has sent letters of invitation to various heads of government to join a new Board of Peace, which he will chair. The organization was envisioned as part of the United Nations–backed effort for the reconstruction and transitional governance of Gaza. But the new board’s charter, details of which have not been previously reported, appears to give the board a global remit, according to a copy we reviewed. And the price of a permanent position on the board is very steep.

The charter’s membership section, written in legalese that sounds not unlike an application to join the committee of an upscale golf club, says members will be invited by the chairman to participate for a three-year term, subject to renewal by Trump. But there is a way to skip the renewals and lock in for the long term: “The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.”

What the money will be used for isn’t stated. Its expected purpose is to fund reconstruction and other revitalization efforts in Gaza and perhaps beyond, in whatever conflicts Trump and the board choose to address. But the charter doesn’t address that. Its finance section simply states: “Funding for the expenses of the Board of Peace shall be through voluntary funding from Member States, other States, organizations, or other sources.” That could leave interested world leaders wondering where, exactly, their money would go.