How ‘noble’ is Trump for a Nobel?

Taken together, Trump's record is a patchwork of genuine progress, unfinished proposals, and exaggerated claims

- By P.M. Amza

Taken together, Trump's record is a patchwork of genuine progress, unfinished proposals, and exaggerated claims

THE Nobel Peace Prize has long symbolised the world's highest recognition of human effort to replace conflict with cooperation.

From Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk's reconciliation in South Africa to Mikhail Gorbachev's role in ending the Cold War, the Prize has celebrated transformative achievements that reshaped international relations. It has also, at times, sparked controversy - as when President Barack Obama received the award in 2009 at the very beginning of his presidency, largely for his promise rather than performance.

More than a decade later, the same debate has resurfaced around President Donald Trump, who has claimed to have brought "six wars to an end in six months" and, at other times, "seven unendable wars" to a close. Some of his supporters extend this narrative to "eight in eight," portraying him as a global peacemaker whose unconventional diplomacy halted or eased major confrontations. Trump himself has repeatedly asserted that he could "end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours."

This article examines that claim of peacemaking through evidence rather than rhetoric. It analyses eight conflicts that Trump says he helped resolve - including Armenia-Azerbaijan, Israel-Iran, and the ongoing Gaza crisis - alongside his approach to the Russia-Ukraine war. The objective is not to dismiss his diplomatic ventures, but to critically assess whether they represent genuine, lasting peace or merely political performance wrapped in bold self-promotion.