US President Donald Trump has said time and time again that he has stopped eight wars during his second term in office. In his recent message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump wrote: “I no longer feel obligated to think purely about peace” because “the country (Norway) has decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping 8 PLUS wars.”
Last year, the State Department called Trump a “president of peace” who had stopped “eight wars in eight months.”
Which eight wars did Trump stop?
Trump has repeatedly claimed to have stopped the “war” between:
7. Armenia and Azerbaijan
Read also | Norway’s prime minister said Trump had linked threats to take over Greenland to disdain for the Nobel Peace Prize
Analysts and observers dispute Trump’s claim because some were short conflicts, such as the one involving India and Pakistan, while others remain hot wars to this day, such as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that while Trump continues to claim that he has ended eight wars this year, that is an exaggeration.
In December last year, a report said that Trump’s meeting that week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted that much more work remained before any declaration of an end to the war in Gaza.
In addition, new fighting broke out last year between Thailand and Cambodia and between Congolese forces and Rwandan-backed rebels. And one conflict that Trump claimed to end was never a war.
His claim of ending the India-Pakistan conflict is highly contested by the Indian government.
Trump began his second term last January with a promise to end Russia’s war against Ukraine within a day. However, this conflict still continues despite repeated US-brokered peace talks.
Current situation of the 8 “wars”:
Israel and Hamas: The war in Gaza is still not over, apart from regular ceasefires and hostage deals.
Israel and Iran: In June last year, Israel launched attacks on Iran’s nuclear program and military leadership, saying it wanted to stop Tehran from building a nuclear weapon. Iran has denied trying to do so.
Trump negotiated the ceasefire after ordering US warplanes to attack Iran’s Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear facilities. Lawrence Haas, senior US foreign policy fellow at the American Council on Foreign Policy, reportedly characterized the ceasefire as a temporary respite from the ongoing “everyday Cold War”.
Egypt and Ethiopia: Mediation efforts not directly involving the United States have stalled in what can best be described as heightened tensions, not war, according to the Associated Press. During his first term, Trump tried to broker an agreement between Ethiopia and Egypt. He couldn’t get the countries to agree.
India and Pakistan: India denied Trump’s claims, saying there had been no conversation between the US and India on trade in the context of the ceasefire between India and Pakistan during the conflict in May. It was not a “full war”, but a conflict that lasted 7 days.
Serbia and Kosovo: The White House cites the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo as one that Trump resolved. But during Trump’s second term, there was no threat of a war between the neighbors, nor his significant contribution to improving relations this year, the AP reported.
Rwanda and Congo: Trump has played a key role in peace efforts between Africa’s neighbors, but he is not alone and the conflict is far from over, the AP added. In June, the foreign ministers of Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement at the White House. Later, in early December, the countries’ presidents signed a peace accord as Trump looked on.
But M23 said it would not abide by the agreement, which does not directly concern it. Days after the latest signing, rebels seized another town in eastern Congo before announcing they were withdrawing.
Armenia and Azerbaijan: In August of last year, Trump hosted the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House. They signed an agreement aimed at ending the decades-long conflict. The countries signed agreements to reopen key transport routes and reaffirm their commitment to sign the peace treaty.
The text of the treaty was initialed by the foreign ministers, which means preliminary approval. However, leaders have yet to sign the treaty and parliaments have yet to ratify it, the AP reported.
Cambodia and Thailand: Under pressure from Trump, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a ceasefire in a brief border conflict last summer. But the fight flared up again. A more detailed October agreement followed, also under pressure from Trump. But heavy fighting broke out at the beginning of December. A new ceasefire agreement was signed on 27 December.
