James discusses Donald Trump’s Board of peace, the Saudi-UAE dispute, and Iran on Radio Islam. Transcript [Anchor] Good day to you, James, wherever you are in the world these days, Singapore, East, West or wherever, pleasure to be talking to you. Good morning, it’s always a pleasure to be with you. James, getting to our discussion, I think the world has sort of numbed from President Donald Trump’s statements these days, but the latest one, US President Donald Trump’s putting Gaza alongside Greenland on the front line of efforts to craft what he calls a new world order, referring to as a peace board or something of that sort. Your thoughts on that, James? [James M. Dorsey] Indeed, like US claims to Greenland, the just formed board of peace is about much more than Greenland or Gaza. It’s about crafting a new world order in Donald Trump’s mould. If that’s the case, it’s not off to a good start. Positioning itself as a global peacemaking entity, the board of peace headed by Trump is targeting Gaza as its first engagement. Its approach raises more questions than it provides answers. To be sure, the announcement that the Rafah border crossing will reopen next week is a good beginning, but who controls who can enter or leave Gaza or what goods can enter the Strip? It’s hard to believe that Israel will surrender control. Similarly, the inauguration of the board at the Davos World Economic Forum made no mention of a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the formation of an international stabilisation force, or any reference to Palestinian national aspirations. If anything, underlying the board’s projection of post-war Gaza as an investment opportunity reflects a long-standing belief in the Trump camp and Israel that economic development will push Palestinian national aspirations to the background. [Anchor] James, staying, of course, with the Middle East, differences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE reverberate across the greater Middle East, and I’m, of course, referring to Yemen and Sudan in particular. What is gearing up to be a subset of Trump’s efforts to create a new world order? These differences between these two major players, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, your thoughts on that, James? [James M. Dorsey] Amid a war of words in the media between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, since the kingdom forced the UAE to withdraw from Yemen, Saudi Arabia has been working to rearrange the region’s security architecture. The kingdom is working on a military alliance with Somalia that has ended military cooperation with the UAE and Egypt that, for all practical matters, has sided with Saudi Arabia and, like the kingdom, supports the Sudanese armed forces in Sudan’s civil war against the UAE-backed rapid support forces. The Saudi-Somali alliance comes on the back of a Saudi-Pakistani mutual defence treaty. The Saudi-UAE conflict is a setback for Israeli ambitions. The UAE recently facilitated Israeli recognition of the breakaway Somali Republic of Somaliland, giving Israel a significant foothold in the Horn of Africa. The change in Saudi attitudes is also reflected in a sharp increase of Saudi criticism of Israel, both in the media and from the pulpit. [Anchor] James, Trump bars in the belief that he is a leader unrestrained by democratic niceties and pesky coalition partners that constrict non-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as European leaders. What’s the reality here with regards to this belief? Is it something which is only in the simplistic mind of Mr. Trump or is there some reality to it? [James M. Dorsey] In Trump’s mind, men like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Shara fit his vision of smart, tough, and good leaders who have concentrated power in their hands and can get things done unconstrained by diplomatic protocols, international law, or proper democratic oversight. Trump’s respect for Erdogan and al-Shara enables Turkey to loom large as a winner as the U.S. President created his Board of Peace. Turkey, represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, joined yesterday’s signing of the board’s charter despite Israeli objections because of the Turks’ ties to Hamas. Israel also objected to Qatar’s membership. In Trump’s eyes, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, like the European leaders, are weak because they are constrained by either diplomatic niceties, parliamentary oversight, or pesky coalition partners. The power dynamics are evident with Netanyahu reluctantly joining the board in the hope that he can delay or derail implementation of the second phase of Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan and because he had no choice. [Anchor] James, Trump’s respect for strong leaders, as you had alluded to in that previous discussion there, doesn’t extend to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would Iran’s supreme leader, caught between a rock and a hard place. Recent protests make change in Iran inevitable. It’s going to come whether the Ayatollahs like it or not. To address Iran’s economic problems at least, Khamenei needs to reach an understanding with the United States that offers sanctions relief despite accusing the US and Israel of instigating the protests, the reality no doubt different on the ground in that sooner or later Iran is going to have to blink when it comes to the sanctions issues. [James M. Dorsey] The $64,000 question is what Iran will do next. The protests may have died down amid brutal repression, but inevitably will erupt again if the government doesn’t address the country’s structural economic problems. To do so, Iran needs sanctions relief. While keeping his military option on the table, Trump insists that he is willing to talk to Iran, but some of his demands are such that no Iranian government, whether Islamic revolutionary or post-revolution, can accept them. Perhaps the most difficult condition is curbing Iran’s ballistic missiles programme. With no air force or navy you speak of, ballistic missiles constitute the core of Iranian defence, all of which puts Iran in a catch-22. [Anchor] James Dorsey, thanks for your time this morning here and of course for joining us on Radio Islam International as always. Have a good rest of your weekend ahead of you James and pleasant greetings. [James M. Dorsey] Same to you and it’s always a pleasure. You're currently a free subscriber to The Turbulent World with James M. Dorsey. 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