Initially, I was surprised by Cambodia’s decision to nominate US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize but leave out Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim following the ceasefire agreement between the former and Thailand,
But, after thinking it over, I realised why. There’s no better way to get into the good books of Trump than to praise him or go into business with firms associated with his family and friends.
Before I get into that, I feel it is blatantly unfair to nominate only Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize over the Thailand-Cambodia truce. Malaysia, as Asean chair, played the key role and Anwar hosted the leaders of the two Asean members in Kuala Lumpur.
That explains why some Malaysians have called for Anwar to be nominated for the prize.
I said I was surprised by the nomination of Trump for the peace prize but some people I know burst out laughing when they heard of it. But I digress.
According to news reports on Aug 8, Trump has been formally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet for his role in halting the border conflict between his nation and Thailand.
The Nobel Peace Prize is the top international award given to an individual or organisation that has done the most to advance fellowship between nations. Alfred Nobel, who initiated the Nobel prizes, said in his will that the Nobel Peace Prize should go to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X soon after the signing of the ceasefire by Thailand and Cambodia that Trump’s direct involvement led to the truce. “President Trump made this happen. Give him the Nobel Peace Prize!” she shouted.
Reports said the deadlock in efforts to end the fighting between Thailand and Cambodia was broken by a call by Trump to the leaders of the two countries. Apparently, he threatened to block trade deals with them if they continued fighting.
According to the official joint statement after the agreement, the meeting was co-organised by the US with the “active participation” of China.
It is fine if Malaysians want to nominate Anwar and Americans want to nominate Trump but the question is this: Why is Cambodia proposing Trump for the top peace prize?
Most leaders and diplomats know that Trump loves to make deals and that he loves accolades.
What better way to get a good deal from him than to praise him? What better way to get Trump to lower tariffs or to win US friendship or perhaps even to get him to close an eye to one’s shenanigans than to flatter him by nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize?
Three nations, and several Americans, have so far nominated him or declared that they will nominate him for the prestigious prize: Israel, Pakistan and Cambodia.
Reports in June said Pakistan would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize because of his “decisive diplomatic intervention” that led to a cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan earlier this year. This happened despite the fact that India has repeatedly denied that Trump had any role in the ceasefire.
On July 8, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize as he had “demonstrated steadfast and exceptional dedication to promoting peace, security and stability around the world”.
And on Aug 1, Cambodia’s deputy prime minister Sun Chanthol said his country would nominate Trump for the peace prize for his role in bringing about an agreement, adding: “We acknowledge his great efforts for peace”.
Following the signing of the agreement, Trump reduced the 36% tariff he had threatened to impose on Thailand and Cambodia to 19%. It was reported that he had earlier threatened to block trade deals with them unless they stopped fighting.
What does Netanyahu gain by nominating the US? It is clear that he not only wants the continued backing of the US but also wants Trump to close an eye to the killings and suffering in Palestine.
Pakistan is probably the smartest of the lot. It too gets only a 19% tax on its exports to the US. Pakistan has not only won the favour of Trump by nominating him for the Nobel prize but has also signed a letter of intent with Trump-linked World Liberty Financial (WLF) to “accelerate blockchain innovation, stablecoin adoption, and decentralized finance (DeFi) integration across Pakistan”.
What is WLF? It touts itself as a “financial services platform that aims to revolutionise the way users invest and manage their assets through the use of blockchain technology” and that it “provides investors with opportunities to engage in cryptocurrency markets while offering a secure and transparent investment ecosystem”.
The decentralised finance project is backed by Trump and his family members including Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Barron Trump.
Before the Thai-Cambodia ceasefire Trump administration officials brokered a deal between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda which have been embroiled in decades of fighting that has killed millions. Trump watched on June 28 as representatives of both countries signed an agreement in the Oval Office.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: “This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World! I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for this. No, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that’s all that matters to me!”
Some say Trump craves the prize because former US president Barack Obama – whom he vehemently dislikes – was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
That post by Trump, of course, led to some people rushing to nominate him.
It must be noted, though, that Trump was not doing it solely to end the killings. The US will also be getting, in his words, “a lot of mineral rights” from the DRC as part of the peace deal.
Under the deal, both countries are to expand “foreign trade and investment derived from regional critical mineral supply chains and introduce greater transparency”. Some fear that this spells resource exploitation.
Interestingly, Qatar played a key role in the discussions leading to the ceasefire but, as in the case of Malaysia in the Thai-Cambodia conflict, its role isn’t being celebrated.
Trump has been saying since last year that the Ukraine-Russia war would not have erupted if he had been president. In fact, he promised to end the war within 24 hours of taking office. That has not happened.
In his January inaugural address, he promised to “stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent, and totally unpredictable”. It is August now and the killing in Palestine has not ended.
Let’s also not forget that the US bombed several Iranian nuclear facilities on June 21.
To be fair, he has had some success in stopping armed conflicts, such as the Congo-Rwanda and Thai-Cambodia conflicts. But are these enough to win him the Nobel Peace Prize?
Perhaps he can win it – if he stops the conflicts in Palestine and Ukraine.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
