The world is aware of Donald Trump’s fascination with the Nobel Peace Prize. After all the President he replaced at the White House in his first tenure, Barrack Obama, was awarded one for ‘extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,’ despite continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (inherited from his predecessor) and launching military interventions in Libya and against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, alongside increased drone strikes including in Pakistan.

Trump recently stated, “They should give me the Nobel Prize for Rwanda, and if you look, the Congo, or you could say Serbia, Kosovo, you could say a lot of them. The big one is India and Pakistan. I should have gotten it four or five times.” His desperation for the award has made him repeat his lies about being involved in pushing the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, ignoring the public denial by the Indian PM in a tele-conversation with him. His yearning for the award was also visible in a social media post on his Truth Social platform on June 20, where, in a single post, he mentioned the award six times. He has even stated, “It’s too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me.”

He tweeted his anger at being ignored, while Obama was awarded, “They gave one to Obama immediately upon his ascent to the presidency, and he had no idea why he got it. … That was the only thing I agreed with him on.” What has hurt him is his inability to conclude the Russo-Ukraine conflict, an act which could have made him a frontrunner for the award. Vladimir Putin, aware of his fascination with the Nobel, has been playing him along. Trump realised this after considerable time and decided to rearm Ukraine through NATO, and also consider secondary sanctions on Russia.

He has currently stopped talking of mediating. If Trump’s ego is to be assuaged, then the easiest way is to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. The very mention of his name being forwarded earned Pakistan’s failed Field Marshal Asim Munir a luncheon at the White House. Islamabad’s citation stated it is nominating Trump because of his “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership” in ending the Indo-Pak conflict. For Pakistan, regular announcements of stopping the conflict by Trump are a lifesaver. Admitting that it was forced to approach arch-enemy India for a ceasefire is akin to accepting a surrender, which could signal the end of the Pakistan army’s control over the country and open doors for the re-emergence of Imran Khan onto the centre stage. The latest to join the bandwagon of pumping Trump’s ego was Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli PM, is shrewd and aware of the importance of US support for his survival. Had the US not intervened, Israel would never have been able to achieve even half its objectives in Iran and may have suffered far more damage and destruction than it did. Iran was already signalling its willingness to stand down and terminate the conflict. Trump’s announcement came as a lifesaver to Israel. In addition, Trump has been the most pro-Israel US president to date. He has provided Israel with the wherewithal to target Palestinians. In March, Trump announced he is ‘sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job (Gaza).’

It was Trump who ordered the mass bombing of civilians in Yemen as a means of pressuring the Houthis to stop their attacks on merchant shipping and Israel. To display gratitude for support in Iran and Gaza, Netanyahu nominated Trump for the Nobel, and to pump his ego, presented him with the nomination letter at a dinner in the White House. He told Trump, “I want to express the appreciation and admiration not only of all Israelis, but of the Jewish people,” adding, “You deserve it.” A flattered Trump responded, “Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful.” It is interesting that Netanyahu, facing an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for genocide, nominates the individual who provided him with the munitions to carry out the killings.

Norway is a signatory to the Rome Statute and is mandated to arrest Netanyahu if he lands on its soil, based on the ICC warrant. Hence, Israel’s nomination stands ground is a question. However, Netanyahu has managed to flatter Trump and achieved his objective of prolonging the war to continue staying in power. CNN also commented on Trump’s fascination by mentioning, “the award has become Trump’s ultimate fixation, one he says is well deserved for his efforts to end conflicts around the globe.” Countries have also understood Trump’s weakness and are exploiting it. Trump had received multiple nominations in his earlier tenure as President, including for brokering the Abraham Accords, but has never been awarded. Hence, he stated, “They won’t give me a Nobel Peace Prize because they only give it to liberals.” The peace prize is determined by a committee of five prominent Norwegians nominated by their parliament, which remains the final arbitrator.

The award for this year is expected to be announced on October 10. For this year’s award, the committee has already met for the first time in February, and the procedure of determining the awardee is on. There are currently 388 candidates in the fray, including 244 individuals and 94 organisations. Trump, if he is to be considered, would only be for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. It is with this aim that he will now be looking at brokering peace in Gaza and between Russia and Ukraine.

Netanyahu is in no hurry to end the Gaza conflict, as it enables him to remain in power and delay legal proceedings against him. For him, an end to the conflict could also mean an end to his political career. Hence, pushing him will be difficult for Trump. Russia,a to,o is displaying no interest in ending the war. Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, needs to quickly get into Trump’s good books for direct military aid. This may only happen if he also nominates Trump for the award. It is very rare that a President publicly displays such a fascination. It makes him a global laughing stock, exploited by leaders who pump up his ego. But then, this is Trump, from whom anything can be expected.

-The Statesman (India)/ANN