Trump has been playing “peacemaker”, allowing the US to focus all resources on future confrontation with China.
Details. Trump told the Norwegian minister he wanted the Nobel Peace Prize. From the start of his term and throughout his campaign, he emphasised “conflict resolution”, declaring in his inaugural address: “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.”
► Following US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites and commanders, Trump claimed the program was destroyed and imposed a ceasefire, urging both sides, ‘Please don’t violate it!’
► On 7 May, India and Pakistan exchanged fire in Kashmir. The US pushed both sides into a truce by 10 May. Trump claimed credit, saying he offered trade if they stopped fighting.
► On 28 May, clashes on the Cambodian–Thai border displaced 300,000. The Cambodian Prime Minister praised Trump’s ‘decisive’ role in the ceasefire, which Trump announced by declaring both countries had reached ‘CEASEFIRE and PEACE.’
► Trump spearheaded a fragile peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 militia, hailing it as a ‘glorious triumph.’ The agreement grants the US access to vast critical minerals in the Congo.
► In August, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a deal to end the 37-year Nagorno-Karabakh war. Trump said, “They fought, and now they’re friends.” The US gained exclusive development rights over the Zangezur corridor, replacing Russia.
► The Trump administration has aimed to settle the conflict in Ukraine, most recently with talks in Alaska with Putin. Both sides have offered mineral and economic deals.
Context. Since the end of the Cold War, US power has relied on both its financial and military domination. Washington has passed the largest military budget in history for 2026 — over $1 trillion — with Pentagon officials stating that cutting back commitments in the Middle East and Europe is necessary to focus on the Indo-Pacific.
► America’s dominant financial position — including control over the global reserve currency through SWIFT, which accounts for 50% of international transactions — has allowed it to impose tariff diplomacy worldwide. Using this economic power to draw nations closer to its sphere of influence while constraining China’s worldwide reach and markets.
Important to Know. From the 1990s through to the 2010s, the Western bloc waged wars on favourable terms. Today, with China’s rise as a major capitalist power, nearly every regional conflict pits Western and Chinese interests against one another.
► For Washington, ceasefires are not about peace but about freeing resources and stopping any potential distractions to confront its main rival, China.
► Neither bloc is prepared for full-scale war. US capital relies on Chinese production, and China on global exports. Ceasefires and deals — such as in Ukraine or Congo — also serve to secure resources the West currently depends on China for, and shrink Chinese export markets, worsening China’s crisis of overproduction.
► Trump’s “Peacemaking” aims to sustain America’s image as a hegemon of ‘peace and democracy’, concealing rising domestic class contradictions with a surge of national pride. This propaganda is decisive in securing consent for imperialist war, making it urgent for communists to expose and combat these illusions.