The Board of Peace had its first official meeting last Thursday. Reactions to it are typical, as with anything President Donald Trump does. You either have the automatic dislike of it because Trump is involved, or you have gushing praise from his fans.

As for me? I think it’s a little weird, but I have some hopes for it.

First, critics should be aware that last year, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2803, which authorized the formation of a “Board of Peace” to provide a transitional administration in Gaza, as well as an “International Stabilization Force,” which would be approved by the Board of Peace, as a peacekeeping force. This resolution was widely approved by many nations, and even by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

But to those who are fawning over this Board of Peace and believe that it’s the next United Nations, that wasn’t supposed to be the point of the Board of Peace. The Board of Peace was supposed to be a temporary organization to help with the Gaza-Israel ceasefire process. What I find weird is some of Trump’s decisions concerning the Board of Peace. He attempted to invite Russia, which is currently invading Ukraine. He was contemplating putting tariffs on France because of its refusal to join. And Trump seemed to go beyond what the UN resolution had in mind, and began pondering if this expanded Board of Peace could replace the organization that had mandated it. The supposed draft charter for the Board of Peace seems to aim to create “a more nimble and effective international peace-building body.” Also, the fact that Trump has made himself the chairman of this board for life is such an unnecessary and strange detail.

But, despite many of Trump’s eccentricities, the Board of Peace has also looked promising. While the $1 billion fee for permanent membership on the board was another weird aspect, it has definitely raised money that will hopefully be used for the security of Gaza and its renewal. During the board’s first meeting, members committed significant sums of money as well as troops for a future peacekeeping force. For all its flaws, the Board of Peace has acted as an unconventional, yet successful, fundraising venture.

Also, while there were criticisms of Trump trying to replace the UN, he has made several comments clarifying his intentions. At the end of the inaugural meeting, he stated that he wants to work with the UN and “bring it back to health.” You could call him slightly arrogant for thinking that he can fix an international organization, but at least he wants to do something to help the UN, rather than replace it.

I currently don’t find myself rushing to defend Trump’s vision for the Board of Peace. It needs more work (and members), and we need to see how it turns out. But I do think that it could potentially leave a lasting legacy if it refined itself and was less of a Trump ego project. The Board of Peace might be a great example of how competition can bring reform. Many have complained that the UN has struggled to actually solve conflicts, despite being a supposed international body for resolving them. But there have been very few who have done anything about the issues at the UN. While the Board of Peace is eccentric, it’s actually trying to do something. Perhaps it won’t be successful if Trump is unable to control himself and focus on developing an actual organization rather than an international fan club for himself. 

Let me be clear: the UN is still important and we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. But after years of institutional problems in the UN, perhaps it needs a friendly competitor to push it to actually enact necessary reforms and innovations to make it more effective.

If the Board of Peace can focus on its original task of enforcing peace in Gaza and revitalizing it for the Palestinian people, then perhaps it deserves a chance to work on other global conflicts. I hope that Trump genuinely uses it to help make needed changes to the UN and show that peace can be achieved, rather than just talked about. If this is the case, then perhaps the Board of Peace will truly be one of the greatest things he has participated in, and leave a lasting legacy—a legacy of taking creative initiative for peace projects.

Trump may often be too unruly for his own good, but perhaps when it comes to saving lives, unorthodox methods could help. If they don’t work, then they could at least provide the push for others to experiment and reform, rather than complacently stay in passive ruts.

Acknowledgement: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and not necessarily those of Our National Conversation as a whole.