Negotiations Under Fire!

During his second term, President Trump was determined to bring peace to troubled regions around the world—especially in Ukraine, the Middle East, and with Iran. His method of choice was direct negotiations with all parties involved.

However, what has unfolded thus far reflects the approach chosen by the Israeli Prime Minister: if peace must be achieved through negotiations, as Trump insists, then those negotiations should happen under fire! The justification? No party will accept the American president’s peace terms merely through pressure and dialogue—military pressure must accompany the talks to force the opposing side to accept Trump’s imposed conditions. So far, amid ongoing fighting in Gaza, Ukraine, and Lebanon, neither approach has truly succeeded.

Negotiations with Iran began but were cut off after five rounds, followed by heavy strikes on the Islamic Republic by both Israel and the U.S. Despite both Israel and Iran claiming victory, talks have not resumed—each side threatening the other with renewed war.

In recent weeks, the American president has promised an imminent ceasefire in Gaza, even as Israeli bombardments continue and negotiations persist in Doha, Qatar. It was said that Trump summoned Netanyahu to Washington to apply more pressure on him. Yet the war goes on. Every day we hear that obstacles remain—sometimes blamed on Hamas, other times on Israel.

As for Lebanon’s Hezbollah, its negotiation story is even longer. Two weeks ago, the U.S. envoy arrived in Lebanon while Israeli strikes on Hezbollah continued daily. The envoy, Brett McGurk, handed Lebanese officials a letter outlining the demands necessary for a ceasefire. He later returned to Beirut to receive an official response. Although the initial impression was positive, McGurk remarked upon leaving, “They want to play table games with me, but I’m playing chess!” Thus, Israeli strikes continue, and Lebanese officials remain puzzled or powerless. Hezbollah refuses to disarm, and the Lebanese government cannot confront it by force. So, the Israeli attacks persist—while negotiations continue, McGurk style.

In the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the American president initially exerted immense pressure on Ukraine until he received a response from Zelensky that seemed satisfactory. But when he turned to President Putin and presented his plan, the Russian leader did not respond in a way that would allow negotiations to begin.

Trump stated that Putin was courteous and polite during talks, but the overall outcomes were limited. So what can the mighty American president do, now that he’s grown frustrated with Russian stalling? He is considering resuming the military aid he had suspended for Ukraine. He cannot threaten Russia with military force, nor can he admit failure in enforcing his negotiation agenda. As a result, drone and missile attacks between Russia and Ukraine continue.

Everyone seems to agree that peace negotiations are necessary. Yet no party is willing to accept the terms laid out by the U.S. president, despite his overwhelming power and willingness to use it to impose peace. Some players—Netanyahu among them—have even begun mocking Trump, implying that he’s chasing the Nobel Peace Prize as a reward for his efforts.

So far, neither America’s soft power nor its hard power has yielded results. How, then, can these wars that destroy lives and cities be stopped? The world watches in fear, concerned that these devastating wars may continue indefinitely. But if true peace is the goal, there remains no alternative to the United States. International institutions—foremost among them the United Nations Security Council—are either paralyzed or ineffective, unable to secure peace or even a truce.

The original article was published on the Al-Etihad

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