U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial "Board of Peace"—a body critics are calling a "pay-to-play United Nations"—has secured a major diplomatic coup. Seven influential Muslim-majority nations have agreed to join the organization, signaling a significant shift in the geopolitical alignment of the Middle East and Asia.

In a joint statement released Wednesday, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Qatar confirmed their participation in the Board. This bloc joins Israel, which had publicly accepted the invitation hours earlier. The move effectively places the key power brokers of the Islamic world under a new umbrella chaired personally by Trump, bypassing the traditional structures of the UN Security Council.

The $1 Billion Ticket

The structure of the Board is as audacious as it is unprecedented. To secure a "permanent seat," member nations are required to pay a one-time fee of $1 billion (approx. KES 130 billion) into a fund controlled by Chairman Trump. Nations that decline to pay can serve renewable three-year terms but lack veto power. The draft charter, leaked to the press, grants Trump supreme authority, stating he may adopt resolutions "without consulting the board" and serve as a member for life.

Trump has framed the Board as a necessary evolution of global governance. "The UN never helped me," he declared before departing for the World Economic Forum in Davos. "This Board will actually solve conflicts, not just talk about them." The inclusion of rivals like Turkey and Israel in the same body suggests a transactional approach to diplomacy that prioritizes direct access to the U.S. President over ideological purity.

• The New Members: The entry of Saudi Arabia and Qatar is critical, given their financial muscle and role in energy markets. Pakistan and Indonesia bring demographic weight, representing hundreds of millions of Muslims.
• The Holdouts: European powers have largely snubbed the initiative. Norway, Sweden, and France have declined, with Slovenian PM Robert Golob warning the body "dangerously interferes with the broader international order."
• Gaza Focus: Originally pitched as a vehicle to oversee post-war Gaza, the Board has morphed into a "pseudo-UN." However, Saudi Arabia emphasized its participation is conditional on "consolidating a permanent ceasefire" in Gaza.

A Rival to the UN?

Legal experts warn that the Board creates a dangerous parallel track to international law. By concentrating power in a private charter run by a sitting U.S. President, it undermines the multilateral system established in 1945. "This is not diplomacy; it is a club," noted one UN diplomat. "And the membership fee is loyalty to one man."

Yet, for the seven nations that signed up today, the calculation is simple: in a world reshaped by Trump’s "America First" doctrine, being inside the room—even at a cost of $1 billion—is safer than being outside it. As the Board prepares for its first summit, the world watches to see if this experiment will bring peace or merely privatize global conflict resolution.