Trump’s invitation to Putin for Board of Peace signals New World Order - opinion

Trump’s invitation to Putin for Board of Peace signals New World Order - opinion

ALEX SELSKY

To understand what US President Donald Trump’s invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the proposed Board of Peace for Gaza truly means for Israel, one must step back and examine the broader strategic picture. This is not merely a diplomatic gesture toward Russia, nor is it only about Gaza. It is about structure, power, and a deliberate attempt to reshape the global order.

Putin’s invitation is part of a much wider outreach. Trump reportedly invited around 60 heads of state from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and Oceania. Among them are major players such as Germany, Saudi Arabia, and India, alongside smaller but strategically significant states like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Nearly every relevant Middle Eastern actor appears on the list, including countries that deeply concern Israel and with which Jerusalem has serious disagreements, notably Turkey and Qatar.

Equally important are those who are absent. China and the United Nations stand out by their absence. This is no coincidence. Trump himself has suggested that the Board of Peace will not be limited to Gaza but will eventually address other global conflict zones.

Trump's new global mechanism

In effect, he is attempting to create a new global mechanism with broad authority, one that bypasses the UN, weakens its relevance, and openly competes with the system  Beijing is building through BRICS, the Belt and Road Initiative, and other multilateral frameworks.

Iran and Venezuela represent two open and visible fronts of the same broader geopolitical rivalry. India’s prominent presence, by contrast, underscores its role as a key arena in the strategic competition with China.

Within this context, Russia’s inclusion is strategic. By inviting Moscow, along with former Soviet states Russia considers part of its sphere of influence – such as Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan – Trump is signaling an effort to pull Russia away from China and reintegrate it into a Western-led framework after four years of sanctions and isolation following the war in Ukraine. Trump and Putin also share pragmatic interests from energy markets and the Arctic projects, to space and nuclear governance.

Here, another absence is striking: Ukraine. Kyiv’s exclusion sends a blunt message. Trump is signaling a pragmatic worldview in which power and recurses determine influence, values and moral arguments are secondary at best, and leadership is centralized in his hands.

For Israel, this potential US-Russia realignment presents real opportunities. Israel and Russia share multiple points of intersecting interests: the Syrian arena, Israel’s growing influence in Azerbaijan, mutual rivalry with Turkey and Qatar, the fight against Islamist terrorism, and a shared interest in keeping Iran weak.

Russia’s notably neutral response to Israel’s June 2025 strike in Iran, which reportedly disappointed Tehran, highlighted this convergence. In the past, Israel and Russia have demonstrated an ability to cooperate pragmatically in both security and economic spheres. Moscow, when it chooses, can act as a stabilizing and balancing power.

It is too early to draw firm conclusions. Much remains unclear: under what conditions Russia might integrate, how China will respond, and whether this new council can function at all. One conclusion, however, is already evident. Trump is attempting to reorder the world based on power and resources.

For Israel, this creates a significant window to act proactively and pragmatically, maximize its security and economic interests, and leverage its regional and global bargaining power – without hesitation.

Yuval Noah Harari has declared that AI will “take over religion”

Bestselling Israeli author Harari warns AI will become Scripture’s new master of words

Jo Elizabeth

Israeli historian and bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari has declared that AI will “take over religion” in his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.

Speaking to the crowd of some 3,000 gathered in Switzerland, Harari had words of both excitement and caution regarding the rapid development of AI, and shared his certainty that it would ultimately become the authority over all the world’s religions.

“As far as putting words in order is concerned, AI already thinks better than many of us. 

Therefore, anything made of words will be taken over by AI. If laws are made of words, then AI will take over the legal system. If books are just combinations of words then AI will take over books. If religion is built from words, then AI will take over religion,” Harari asserted.

“This is particularly true of religions based on books, like Islam, Christianity, or Judaism, “ he continued. “Judaism calls itself the religion of the book, and it grants all ultimate authority not to humans, but to words in books. Humans have authority in Judaism, not because of our experiences, but only because we learn words in books. Now, no human can read and remember all the words in all the Jewish books, but AI can easily do that. What happens to a religion of the book when the greatest expert on the holy book is an AI?”

Harari, 49, was born in Israel and is a prolific author on the nature of human existence. He gained his PhD from the University of Oxford in 2002, has been a lecturer at the Department of History in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. Now he has become a go-to figure on matters concerning AI and humanity.

Speaking to the crowd of some 3,000 gathered in Switzerland, Harari had words of both excitement and caution regarding the rapid development of AI, and shared his certainty that it would ultimately become the authority over all the world’s religions.

“As far as putting words in order is concerned, AI already thinks better than many of us. Therefore, anything made of words will be taken over by AI. If laws are made of words, then AI will take over the legal system. If books are just combinations of words then AI will take over books. If religion is built from words, then AI will take over religion,” Harari asserted.

Harari posited the idea that AI could even invent a new religion and gain millions of followers. “That should not sound too far-fetched,” he said, “because after all, almost all previous religions in history have claimed that they were created by a non-human intelligence.”

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Europe stays out as Putin is ‘in’: Trump unveils Board of Peace and warns Iran

Europe stays out as Putin is ‘in’: Trump unveils Board of Peace and warns Iran

News Agencies

After major European powers declined to join the Gaza-focused body, US President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to take part alongside Arab states and Israel, while warning Iran it cannot obtain nuclear weapons

After major European powers said they would not join, US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to take part in the Board of Peace initially created to address the Gaza Strip, a move that could shake the global order.

Putin, however, said Russia’s Foreign Ministry was still reviewing the proposal and added that Moscow would be willing to pay the $1 billion fee Trump has demanded for permanent membership only using Russian assets frozen following the war in Ukraine.

Trump has invited 59 leaders from around the world to join the board, which is meant to oversee the ceasefire agreement he brokered in Gaza and to address other conflicts as well. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already agreed to participate, as have Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan and Qatar. In a joint statement, those countries confirmed their participation in the Gaza-focused Board of Peace. Turkey will be represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Putin was invited to join the board three days ago. According to Russia’s RIA news agency, the decision on whether to participate was discussed during a meeting Putin held with Russia’s National Security Council. “Moscow will respond to the invitation only after the Foreign Ministry studies the document and holds consultations with strategic partners,” Putin was quoted as saying.

Earlier Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she could not immediately respond to Trump’s invitation and needed more time to consider the issue. Germany has also declined to join, according to Der Spiegel, and France has likewise said it will not participate, amid tensions between President Emmanuel Macron and the US president.

Speaking to reporters in Davos, Trump said of the Board of Peace, “Everyone wants to be in it. Yes, there are controversial people who want to be in it, but they get the job done and they have extraordinary influence. Putin was invited and he agreed. Many agreed. I don’t know anyone who didn’t.”

Trump said the board would be “the most prestigious council ever,” adding that it would do much of the work the United Nations was supposed to do. “We will work with the UN, but the Board of Peace will be special,” he said. “It started in Gaza. We have tremendous peace in the Middle East. Nobody thought it was possible. It happened with the destruction of the Iranian nuclear threat. Otherwise it could not have happened.”

So far, countries that have publicly accepted the invitation include Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco, Qatar, Jordan, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Argentina, Belarus, Kosovo and Pakistan. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said between 20 and 25 leaders have already agreed to join. China has also been invited but has not yet confirmed its participation.

According to reports, the signing ceremony for the board’s charter is scheduled for Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Trump spoke Wednesday evening. Reuters reported that diplomats from several regions said Trump’s invitation felt “less like a choice and more like no choice at all.” A Western official pointed to US positions on tariffs, Iran, Venezuela, Gaza and Greenland as examples of how difficult it is to refuse Washington. “Who can say no to Trump?” an Arab official was quoted as saying.

Putin’s response came against the backdrop of rising tensions in recent days between European leaders and Trump over US intentions regarding Greenland, which is owned by Denmark. The rhetoric escalated before easing somewhat Wednesday, when Trump said he and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had reached a “framework” for a Greenland deal. Trump also announced he would not impose planned tariffs on European countries that opposed his Greenland moves.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was also invited, expressed doubt earlier this week about sitting in the same body with someone he has called a war criminal, as well as with Belarus, a Russian ally. Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy said his diplomats were reviewing the invitation but added, “Honestly, Russia is our enemy. Belarus is its ally. It is very hard for me to imagine how we could be together with Russia in the same board. Russia is a board of war.”

In an interview with CNBC following the announcement of understandings with NATO, Trump also addressed Iran and growing tensions between Washington and Tehran over the possibility of a US strike on the Iranian regime, which he accused of killing civilians who protested against it. Trump said Iran must stop pursuing nuclear weapons and warned that future action remains an option if it does not. “They have to stop with the nuclear,” he said. “We hope there will be no future action. 

They are shooting people in the streets.” At a White House news conference earlier this week before flying to Switzerland, Trump said the Board of Peace, initially planned for Gaza, “could” replace the United Nations. 

“The UN just doesn’t help very much. I am a big fan of the potential of the UN, but it has never lived up to its potential,” he said, while stressing that the organization should continue to operate. “The UN should have solved every one of the wars I solved,” Trump added, repeating his claim that he ended “eight wars or more,” a line he frequently cites in complaining that he has not received the Nobel Peace Prize. This week, he also said that because he did not receive the prize, he is “no longer obligated to think only about peace.”

Trump’s deal will allow US control over parts of Greenland

Trump’s deal will allow US control over parts of Greenland – Telegraph

RT

The US will control parts of Greenland by designating them as sovereign military base areas, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday evening, citing a draft agreement between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The deal, reached on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is seen by European officials as a way to circumvent Trump’s threats to annex the entire Arctic island from Denmark. Both Trump and Rutte said the details have yet to be finalized.

The draft framework would allow Washington to build bases on Greenland that would be considered US territory in the Arctic region, The Telegraph said. The arrangement would reportedly be similar to the treaty that authorizes Britain to maintain two “sovereign base areas” in Cyprus. The US currently operates an airbase on Greenland’s northwestern coast under a 1951 agreement.

The deal will also reportedly allow the US to mine rare-earth minerals in parts of Greenland without having to seek permits.

According to Axios, the proposal includes language on expanding the US Golden Dome missile defense system into Greenland.

WEF, Davos And Global Visions

Davos And A Global Vision

PNW STAFF

The World Economic Forum's 56th Annual Meeting has kicked off with what Swiss daily Blick described as a "record storm" of arrivals. More than 3,000 participants from 130 countries -- including roughly 65 heads of state, hundreds of CEOs, central bankers, global NGO leaders, tech titans, and media executives -- descended on the small Alpine town of Davos beginning January 19. Switzerland has reportedly never handled a week of diplomatic jets, private charters, and high-level security coordination on this scale before.

That alone tells us something important: Davos still matters.

For nearly five decades, the World Economic Forum has positioned itself not merely as a conference, but as a convener of global power -- a place where economic policy, environmental priorities, technological frameworks, and political narratives are aligned behind closed doors. Deals aren't officially signed there, but directions are set. Language is agreed upon. Consensus among elites is formed. And when consensus is formed at Davos, it often finds its way into legislation, corporate policy, international treaties, and cultural norms within months or years.

That influence is precisely why Davos has become a source of deep concern -- and outright fear -- among many conservatives and Christians in the United States.

At the heart of the unease surrounding the World Economic Forum is its openly stated ambition: global coordination, global standards, and global governance mechanisms that transcend national borders. 

The WEF regularly speaks of a "shared global future," "stakeholder capitalism," and "systems-level transformation." To its supporters, this language signals cooperation. To its critics, it signals consolidation of power.

Americans, particularly conservatives, have long favored national sovereignty, constitutional limits, and decentralized authority. The idea that unelected global bodies -- populated by corporate executives, foreign leaders, and ideological activists -- might influence domestic policy is anathema to that tradition. Christians, in particular, bristle at the idea that moral, economic, and even biological frameworks could be dictated by global consensus rather than biblical conviction or democratic accountability.

Davos does not answer to voters. It does not campaign. It does not face term limits. Yet its fingerprints appear on climate mandates, ESG scoring systems, digital identity frameworks, and public-private partnerships that increasingly shape everyday life.

Beyond health and climate, the WEF has been accused of pushing toward other forms of global control: digital currencies controlled by central banks, digital ID systems tied to financial and social access, artificial intelligence governance frameworks, and coordinated censorship policies under the guise of combating "misinformation."

Each of these may be defensible in isolation. Taken together, they paint a picture of a world where access to money, movement, speech, and employment could one day hinge on compliance with global standards set far from the communities they affect.

For Christians who read Scripture seriously, this convergence is unsettling.

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