đ New Zealand Just Looked at Trumpâs $1 Billion âPeace Clubâ⌠and Said, Nah. Weâre Good.
Democracies donât rent influence.
Hereâs the plain-English version.
When someone shows up with a âpeace planâ that costs $1 billion just to get a permanent seat at the table, thatâs not diplomacy.
Thatâs a cover charge.
And Donald Trump just learned something the hard wayâŚ
Serious democracies donât buy influence like itâs a casino chip.
They walked.
Including New Zealand.
The setup (minus the perfume)
At World Economic Forum in January, Trump rolled out something called a âBoard of Peace.â
Public pitch⌠help rebuild Gaza after a UN resolution.
Actual structure?
Very different animal.
Trump = permanent chairman
Can only be removed by a vote he basically controls
Countries paying $1B+ = permanent seats
Everyone else = temporary seats, renewable at his discretion
He can expand scope, invite, disinvite, steer it however he wants
Thatâs not a coalition.
Thatâs a VIP lounge with one bouncer and a cash register.
Who joined⌠and who didnât
Pattern matters more than spin.
Countries saying yes?
Mostly transactional governments or regional players who prefer deal-making over institutions.
Countries saying no?
France
Germany
United Kingdom
and now New Zealand
All democracies with skin in the game when it comes to the United Nations system.
They basically saidâŚ
We already have rules-based institutions.
Weâre not paying a billion bucks to join a one-man show.
New Zealandâs call
Their leadership didnât make a scene.
Just calm, adult energy.
Doesnât fit the UN framework
Scope too fuzzy
Adds little value
Not joining âin its current formâ
TranslationâŚ
Hard pass.
Classic Kiwi move. Polite. Firm. Done.
What this really is (no sugarcoating)
This isnât a peace effort.
Itâs monetizing influence.
Pay the fee â get permanent access to the chairman â skip the slow, boring multilateral process.
Itâs the geopolitical version of a backstage pass.
But hereâs the problem:
Democracies donât like power tied to one personality.
They like systems.
Courts. Charters. Votes. Checks and balances.
Because when the leader changes, the system still works.
A personality club collapses the second the personality does.
My take (GeezerWise blunt edition)
If your âpeace boardâ looks like:
lifetime chairmanship
Billion-dollar buy-ins
discretionary membership
and fewer rules than a backyard poker game
âŚitâs not global governance.
Itâs PayPal diplomacy.
New Zealand saw the invoice and said:
âNo thanks. Weâll stick with grown-up institutions.â
Smart.
Because once you start buying political access, youâre not building peace.
Youâre renting favors.
And rented power always comes due with interest.
What happens next?
My betsâŚ
The thing struggles to matter on Gaza without Europeâs money and expertise
Scope quietly shifts to wherever Trump wants headlines
Middle powers coordinate more through UN-style alliances instead
In other wordsâŚ
Less âstrongman club,â more ârules club.â
And frankly?
Good.
The world needs fewer emperors and more referees.
Source credit: Reporting inspired by analysis from House of El (YouTube); facts retained, wording rebuilt from scratch.
Canada Strong Movement⌠House Rule & Disclosure
Canada Strong exists to defend Canadian sovereignty, democratic norms, and economic independence⌠without imported talking points or borrowed outrage.
House rule⌠Facts and good-faith discussion are welcome. I use AI tools to help turn my spoken drafts into clear writing. Iâm 73, my hands shake, and I type with two fingers⌠so I speak first, then edit.
The ideas, positions, and final message are mine.
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