Pay-to-play diplomacy: Trump’s “Board of Peace” and the Commercialization of Global Order

A fracturing of the established international order occurred in Davos two weeks ago as United States President Donald Trump formally launched the Board of Peace, a controversial new organisation that he claims might replace the United Nations. On 22 January 2026, Trump signed the founding charter alongside leaders from 19 nations, including Argentina, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia, while traditional Western allies such as France, the United Kingdom, and Germany declined