Trump, President of the World? An Ego on a Global Scale

One Billion Dollars for a Permanent Seat

The Gaza Peace Council, created by the Trump administration, represents another attempt to reshape the global institutional architecture. Endorsed by the UN Security Council in November 2025, this international body is supposed to oversee the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But the terms of its operation have sparked controversy: according to a draft charter reviewed by several media outlets, member countries will have to pay one billion dollars to secure a permanent seat. The United States would be exempt from this payment, while other nations would serve a renewable three-year term.

Donald Trump will serve as the council’s inaugural president and will have the power to choose which members to invite. Although decisions would be made by a majority vote, the president would have the final veto power. Several leaders have already confirmed receiving invitations, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Argentine President Javier Milei. Hungary, India, Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, and Pakistan have also received invitations, according to the Associated Press. Turkey, Egypt, Paraguay, and Albania had previously been approached.

There is something deeply cynical about this idea of selling permanent seats on the Peace Council for a billion dollars. Trump is turning diplomacy into an auction where only the richest have a seat at the negotiating table. It is as if peace were a luxury commodity reserved for nations that can afford it. This commodification of international relations shocks me to the core, because it excludes the poorest and most vulnerable from decisions that affect their future. It is a worldview where money dictates policy—a vision that makes me fear the worst for the future of international cooperation.

A Structure That Bypasses the UN

Critics fear that this Peace Council could become an alternative to the UN, allowing the United States to bypass existing multilateral institutions. French President Emmanuel Macron has already indicated that he might opt for this Peace Council out of concern that its charter could extend beyond the simple issue of Gaza. This concern is shared by many diplomats who see this initiative as an American attempt to create a parallel structure that Washington can more easily control.

A founding executive council has been established to oversee a defined portfolio critical to the stabilization and long-term success of Gaza. Appointed members include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel. This composition reveals the predominance of U.S. and financial interests within this new structure.

What strikes me about this Peace Council is the obvious desire to replace multilateral institutions with something more controllable. Trump doesn’t like the UN because he can’t control it, so he’s creating his own structure where he dictates the rules. This is a typical approach for someone who has spent his life running family businesses without having to answer to anyone. This personalization of international institutions frightens me, because it transforms diplomacy into an extension of individual wills rather than a system of common rules. And the saddest part is that some countries seem willing to play along for fear of being isolated.

Strikes That Defy International Law

U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear sites are another example of this unilateral approach to international relations. According to several reports, the Trump administration ordered military attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran, despite warnings from the international community about the potentially devastating consequences of such an action. Iran warned that it would retaliate if Trump ordered strikes, and the United States withdrew some of its personnel from certain bases in anticipation of retaliation.

These strikes are part of a broader strategy to bring Iran under strategic control, as analyzed by Chatham House. The Trump administration’s goal is to force Tehran to capitulate in the face of military and economic pressure, bypassing traditional diplomatic channels. Experts note that Trump constantly threatens military strikes against Iran, but that these threats remain real as long as he has not explicitly ordered otherwise. This deliberate ambiguity creates a climate of constant tension in the region.

When I think about these strikes against Iran, I am seized with dread. Trump is playing with nuclear fire as if it were a video game, without a care for the human and geopolitical consequences. This militarization of U.S. foreign policy terrifies me, because it sends the message that force is the only language the United States understands. It is a worldview that leaves no room for diplomacy, dialogue, or mutual understanding. And what revolts me most is that these decisions are being made by a man who seems more concerned with his tough-guy image than with the human lives that will be lost in this conflict.

A Region Set Ablaze by American Ambition

The consequences of these military actions risk destabilizing the entire Middle East. Iran has promised retaliation, and several analysts fear an escalation that could draw other regional powers into the conflict. Russia has warned that any U.S. action against Iran would have unpredictable consequences for international security. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned these strikes as a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international law.

Trump’s military options against Iran include targeted strikes on nuclear facilities, cyberattacks against Iranian infrastructure, and special operations to destabilize the regime. According to Al Jazeera, these options were presented to the U.S. president by his military advisers, who warned of the risks of a regional war. Despite these warnings, Trump seems determined to pursue this strategy of direct confrontation with Tehran.

This rush toward war with Iran makes me sick. It seems as though Trump is seeking a major conflict to cement his stature as a world leader, without a care for the millions of lives that will be destroyed in the process. It is this total disconnect between the reality of war and political rhetoric that terrifies me. Military advisers can issue warnings every day, but if the president has decided to go to war to feed his ego, nothing will stop him. It is this powerlessness in the face of one man’s boundless ambition that fills me with deep despair.

An Unprecedented Act in Modern Diplomacy

The abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States represents one of the most extraordinary actions of the Trump administration. According to Kalachev’s report, this abduction operation was carried out by U.S. forces as part of a broader campaign to overthrow governments in Latin America. This unprecedented act defies all diplomatic conventions and raises serious questions about respect for national sovereignty and international law.

The exact details of this operation remain unclear, but several sources indicate that it involved U.S. special forces operating in coordination with elements of the Venezuelan opposition. President Maduro was reportedly captured during a nighttime operation and transferred to an undisclosed location, likely outside Venezuelan territory. This action has drawn near-universal condemnation from the international community, with many countries describing the act as state-sponsored kidnapping.

When I hear that the United States has abducted an elected president as if he were a common criminal, I am stunned. It is an act that defies all logic, all morality, and all respect for international law. Trump is turning diplomacy into a series of international police operations in which the United States acts as judge, jury, and executioner. This boundless arrogance frightens me, because it sends the message that no one is safe from American ambition—not even a sovereign head of state. It’s a world turned upside down.

The Consequences for Latin America

The repercussions of this abduction are being felt throughout Latin America. Several governments in the region have condemned the U.S. action and called for an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States. Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina have issued joint statements demanding Maduro’s immediate release and respect for Venezuelan sovereignty. The crisis threatens to destabilize the entire region, with the risk of civil unrest in Venezuela and heightened tensions between the United States and its Latin American allies.

Russia also reacted strongly to this abduction, with the Foreign Ministry calling it a flagrant violation of international law. Beijing expressed serious concern about the evolving situation and called for respect for the sovereignty of all countries. This U.S. action risks accelerating the rapprochement between Latin American governments and the United States’ rival powers, particularly China and Russia.

What fills me with despair in this Venezuelan affair is the ease with which Trump sacrifices historic alliances to serve his personal ambitions. The United States has built relations with Latin America on decades of cooperation and mutual respect, and all of that is being destroyed in a matter of months by one man’s desire to present himself as the savior of the continent. It is this lack of foresight, this disregard for the long term, that terrifies me. Trump seems to believe he can tear everything down and rebuild it in his own image, without understanding that international relations are based on trust and continuity.

Territorial claims reminiscent of the 19th century

U.S. claims across the entire Western Hemisphere—including its insistence on annexing Canada and Greenland—reveal a vision of foreign policy reminiscent of the worst excesses of 19th-century imperialism. Trump is not content merely to seek dominant influence over the Americas; he is claiming direct territorial sovereignty over sovereign nations. Canada, a historic ally of the United States and a founding member of NATO, suddenly finds itself in the crosshairs of U.S. territorial ambitions.

This approach represents a radical break with the American tradition of diplomacy based on respect for national sovereignty and the self-determination of peoples. The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 affirmed the principle of European non-intervention in the Americas, but did not claim direct sovereignty over the countries of the continent. Trump goes much further, transforming the Western Hemisphere into a sort of American preserve where the United States would be free to impose its will without any legal or moral constraints.

When I hear Trump talk about Canada as if it were a territory to be annexed, I feel a sense of vertigo. Canada is a sovereign country, a nation with its own history, its own culture, and its own institutions. Trump treats our northern neighbors as if they were merely an extension of American territory. It is this worldview that sends a chill down my spine—this conviction that America has the right to dispose of everything around it as it sees fit. It is a return to a colonial mindset that I thought had long since been consigned to history.

Tariffs as a Weapon of Coercion

The widespread use of tariffs as a foreign policy tool is another hallmark of this new imperialist approach. Trump has imposed 10% tariffs on several European countries that refuse to yield on the issue of Greenland, and 200% tariffs on French wines to pressure Emmanuel Macron into joining the Peace Council. These coercive measures circumvent the traditional mechanisms of the World Trade Organization and constitute a form of unilateral economic warfare.

The European Union has responded by suspending negotiations on the EU-U.S. trade agreement, which was scheduled to be reviewed by the European Parliament this week. The leader of the largest group in the assembly, Manfred Weber, stated that approval is not possible at this stage given Trump’s threats regarding Greenland. This economic escalation threatens to trigger a transatlantic trade war with devastating consequences for the economies on both sides of the Atlantic.

What outrages me about this use of tariffs as a weapon of economic warfare is the total disregard for the rules of international trade. Trump treats economic relations as a tool for blackmail, ignoring the decades of negotiations that established a system based on common rules. It is this brutal approach—this conviction that economic might trumps the law—that makes me fear the worst for the future of the global economy. It seems he has no awareness of the harm his decisions are inflicting on ordinary workers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Eighty years of history wiped out

Kalachev asserts that Trump’s increased efforts to annex Greenland were the final nail in the coffin of the world order that had existed for eighty years. This system, built after World War II on the principles of multilateralism, respect for international law, and cooperation among nations, is being methodically dismantled by the Trump administration. The institutions created to maintain global peace and prosperity are being challenged or circumvented by unilateral initiatives.

The UN, NATO, the WTO—all these institutions that have shaped international relations since 1945—are now threatened by the Trumpian approach. The U.S. president seems determined to replace this system with a new order based on raw power, in which the United States would impose its will without any institutional constraints. This marks a return to an era when relations between nations were governed by the law of the strongest—an era the world had hoped was over after the horrors of World War II.

When I think of everything that is being destroyed—seventy years of efforts to build a more just and peaceful world—it brings tears to my eyes. These imperfect but indispensable institutions, these rules that have helped prevent another world war—all of this is being sacrificed on the altar of one man’s ego. It is this tragedy of history repeating itself over and over again—humanity’s inability to learn from its mistakes. Trump is destroying what generations have built with patience and dedication, with no regard for the disastrous consequences that will follow.

Multipolarity as the New Reality

Paradoxically, Trump’s actions are accelerating the emergence of a multipolar world—the very thing he seeks to prevent. By alienating his traditional allies and provoking resistance from his rivals, the Trump administration is pushing many countries to seek alternatives to American hegemony. Russia and China are taking advantage of this to strengthen their influence and propose new models of international cooperation based on respect for national sovereignty and non-intervention.

The European Union is being forced to develop strategic autonomy to protect itself from the excesses of the Trump administration. Latin American countries are turning to other partners to reduce their economic dependence on the United States. Even within NATO, voices are being raised to question the relevance of an alliance dominated by a member that does not honor its partners’ commitments. This shift toward a multipolar world could be beneficial in the long term, but the transition risks being painful and dangerous.

The irony is that Trump, in seeking to restore absolute American hegemony, is hastening the decline of American influence around the world. His heavy-handed actions are pushing other countries to seek alternatives, to build a world where no one will have the absolute power that Trump seeks to wield. It is a Greek tragedy, a hero whose ambition leads to his own downfall. I am both fascinated and terrified by this dynamic—the way in which hubris always ends up backfiring on those who harbor it.

People Held Hostage

Behind these grand geopolitical maneuvers are human beings whose lives are being upended by Trump’s decisions. The people of Greenland protesting the annexation of their island, the Iranians living under the threat of military strikes, the Venezuelans whose president has been kidnapped—all these populations are held hostage in one man’s quest for greatness. European workers losing their jobs due to tariffs, families separated by diplomatic tensions, communities destabilized by conflict—all are suffering the consequences of this policy of unchecked power.

This human dimension is often missing from geopolitical analyses that focus on grand strategies and balances of power. Yet it is essential to understanding the real impact of Trump’s decisions. Every initiative, every statement, every coercive measure has concrete consequences for the lives of millions of people around the world. Political leaders have a responsibility to weigh these consequences before acting, but the Trumpian approach seems to completely ignore this human dimension.

What moves me most deeply in this matter is the fate of ordinary people caught up in the turmoil of these excessive ambitions. The Greenlander who no longer knows whether his country will be independent or part of the United States tomorrow, the Iranian living in fear of bombings, the Venezuelan wondering who will lead his country after his president’s abduction. It is these individual stories, this invisible suffering, that break my heart. Leaders like Trump seem to have forgotten that behind every political decision, there are human lives.

The Role of the Media and Public Opinion

In the face of this drift toward autocracy, the role of the media and public opinion becomes crucial. The demonstrations in Greenland, the protests in Europe, and the condemnations from the international community are evidence of growing resistance to this imperialist vision of international relations. Independent media play an essential role in informing the public about the Trump administration’s actions and their consequences, giving a voice to critics, and remaining vigilant against abuses of power.

American public opinion itself is beginning to mobilize. Polls indicate that a majority of Americans oppose the use of military force to annex Greenland. Grassroots movements are emerging to defend multilateralism and international alliances. This domestic resistance could serve as a check on the Trump administration’s most excessive ambitions, provided it is sufficiently organized and visible.

I remain hopeful as I see these forms of resistance growing around the world: Greenlanders taking to the streets, Europeans uniting against American threats, Americans opposing the actions of their own president. It is this capacity for resistance—this refusal to accept the unacceptable—that gives me faith in humanity. Even in the face of a power as formidable as that of the United States, ordinary people can unite and say no. It is this ongoing struggle between the boundless ambition of the powerful and the resistance of the weak that constitutes the true history of our world.

A Legacy in Ruins

Trump’s quest for political immortality risks leaving a legacy in ruins. Destroyed alliances, undermined institutions, lost lives, and devastated economies are a heavy price to pay to satisfy the ego of a single man. History may remember Trump as an ambitious president, but it will remember above all the damage caused by his actions. International relations will likely start from scratch after his term, in a multipolar world where the United States will no longer hold the hegemonic position it has occupied since 1945.

This shift may have been inevitable, but the way it was accelerated by Trump will leave deep scars. Trust between nations—an essential element of international relations—has been eroded by years of unilateralism and threats. Rebuilding that trust will take decades, if it is even possible. Future generations will inherit a more unstable, more dangerous, and more divided world, precisely because of this desperate quest for greatness.

When I look at what Trump is doing to the world, I feel a deep sense of melancholy. There is something tragic about the sight of a man who sacrifices everything for his legacy, without understanding that true legacy is not measured by territorial conquests or monuments, but by the lives one has touched, the relationships one has built, and the peace one has preserved. Trump is building a legacy of destruction, a monument to his own vanity that will crumble as soon as he leaves office. And the saddest part is that millions of people will have to live with the consequences of this boundless ambition for decades to come.

Sources

Primary Sources

TASS, “Legacy-minded Trump tries to play president of the world – political scientist,” January 20, 2026

CNN, “A stunned Europe says Trump’s pressure over Greenland is ‘wrong’ and ‘unacceptable,’” January 18, 2026

CNBC, “Trump wants nations to pay $1 billion for permanent Board of Peace seats,” January 18, 2026

Secondary sources

Al Jazeera, “Trump’s bluffs: Why a U.S. strike on Iran remains a real threat,” January 15, 2026

Foreign Policy, “The Trump Administration’s Uses and Abuses of History,” December 26, 2025

Chatham House, “Trump’s objective is to force Iran into strategic submission,” January 2026