BOARD OF PEACE NOT FOR INDIA

INDIA has been invited to join the newly unveiled Board of Peace for Gaza, which Donald Trump launched with ceremonial flourish during the recent World Economic Forum in Davos.

- ED MATHEW

The offer may be framed as recognition of India’s stature as the world’s biggest democracy. However, it looks more like a test of New Delhi’s strategic nerve and moral conviction.

Under the draft charter of the BoP, Trump would serve as its inaugural chairman with overriding veto power over its plans and actions. Asked whether the institution could replace the United Nations, he replied that it “might”. A few hours later, however, he changed tack and said: “We'll do it in conjunction with the UN.”

Several states have already agreed to join, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Hungary, a roster that reflects transactional calculation more than shared principles. Others, notably the UK, Canada, France, Sweden and Norway have declined. Vladimir Putin said he is consulting Moscow’s strategic partners before taking a decision whether to join and China’s decision is not yet known. No permanent member of the UN Security Council other than the US has yet committed to joining the BoP.

India’s invitation appears carefully chosen as New Delhi’s participation would lend a democratic fig leaf to an enterprise otherwise dominated by US allies and compliant partners. That calculation should set alarm bells ringing in New Delhi.

The invitation comes at a moment of profound global disarray. The “rupture” in the global order that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney captured with unusual clarity at Davos resonates uncomfortably with the logic underpinning Trump’s new enterprise, touted as an ‘international organisation’.