{"id":434491,"date":"2026-02-19T16:47:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T16:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/434491\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T16:47:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T16:47:07","slug":"authoritarians-strongmen-and-dictators-who-is-on-trumps-board-of-peace-donald-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/434491\/","title":{"rendered":"Authoritarians, strongmen and dictators: who is on Trump\u2019s Board of Peace? | Donald Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"

A grouping of largely oppressive and authoritarian world leaders and their envoys are flying to Washington for the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump\u2019s newly established Board of Peace<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The body was created to implement his vision for Gaza\u2019s future after it was destroyed by Israel<\/a>, but Trump has widened its scope, calling it<\/a> \u201cthe most consequential international body in history\u201d.<\/p>\n

Global powers, including Washington\u2019s traditional allies, fear the US-led body is an attempt to side-step the more democratic United Nations and replace it with a fee-paying members\u2019 club run on the whims of a single man.<\/p>\n

It is not clear how many of the more than 20 members of the Board of Peace, which Trump runs and chairs, will attend the first meeting on Thursday. As a workaround, several governments, including Italy and Greece, are sending observers.<\/p>\n

What is clear is that many of the founding member countries are run as military regimes or dictatorships, while others joined to appease Trump. Here is a list of several confirmed attenders, and where their countries are placed in an annual ranking<\/a> on political rights and civil liberties, compiled by the democracy watchdog Freedom House<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Middle EastEgyptian prime minister Mostafa Madbouly<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (18\/100) \u2018Not Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Mostafa Madbouly. Photograph: Michele Spatari\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The latest Freedom House report<\/a> presents a negative image of Egypt\u2019s rights situation, reporting an environment of tightly restricted civil liberties and press freedoms. \u201cSecurity forces engage in human rights abuses with impunity,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has, it reports, run Egypt \u201cin an increasingly authoritarian manner\u201d since taking power in a 2013 coup. \u201cMeaningful political opposition is virtually nonexistent, as expressions of dissent can draw criminal prosecution and imprisonment,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (33\/100) \u2018Not Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Hakan Fidan. Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

When announcing the creation of the board in January, Trump also unveiled plans to establish a Gaza Executive Board operating under the body, which would include the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan.<\/p>\n

He reports to Turkey\u2019s president, Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan, who has, according to Freedom House<\/a>, consolidated power \u201cthrough constitutional changes and the imprisonment of political opponents, independent journalists, and members of civil society\u201d.<\/p>\n

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: Israel (73\/100) \u2018Free\u2019, West Bank (22\/100) \u2018Not Free\u2019, Gaza (2\/100) \u2018Not Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Gideon Sa\u2019ar. Photograph: Lev Radin\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Gideon Sa\u2019ar will represent Israel on behalf of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n

Freedom House divides Israel and the Palestinian territories it occupies into separate categories (other rights groups accuse Israel of running an apartheid system<\/a>).<\/p>\n

While Israelis enjoy a \u201cparliamentary democracy with a multiparty system and independent institutions\u201d, the Freedom House report presents a dire situation for Palestinians under Israeli occupation. In Gaza, the index says<\/a> the Israeli military has \u201cconsistently pursued a strategy\u201d that resulted in \u201cmass displacement and loss of life\u201d. In the West Bank, it says<\/a>, the Israeli occupation entails \u201crestrictions on Palestinians\u2019 political rights and civil liberties, and expanding Jewish settlements\u201d.<\/p>\n

AsiaCambodian prime minister Hun Manet<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (23\/100) \u2018Not Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Hun Manet. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Cambodia\u2019s political system has been dominated by the Cambodian People\u2019s Party (CPP) and its leader, Hun Sen, for more than three decades, Freedom House says<\/a>. While Hun Sen stepped down in 2023, he did so only after facilitating \u201can undemocratic transfer of power to his son, Hun Manet\u201d.<\/p>\n

The CPP-led government uses intimidation, politically motivated prosecutions and violence to maintain pressure on the opposition, independent media, and civil society, Freedom House says.<\/p>\n

Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (56\/100) \u2018Partly Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Prabowo Subianto. Photograph: Denis Balibouse\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Indonesia has been a key member of the Board of Peace, and has offered up to 8,000 troops for deployment to Gaza as part of a humanitarian mission.<\/p>\n

The Freedom in the World index said<\/a> Indonesia had made \u201cimpressive democratic gains since the fall of an authoritarian regime in 1998\u201d but added that significant challenges persisted, \u201cincluding systemic corruption, discrimination and violence against minority groups \u2026 and the politicised use of defamation and blasphemy laws\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (23\/100) \u2018Not Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Freedom House offers a blunt assessment<\/a> of the central Asian nation. \u201cIn Kazakhstan, parliamentary and presidential elections are neither free nor fair,\u201d it says. \u201cThe dominant media outlets are either in state hands or owned by government-friendly businessmen. Freedoms of speech and assembly remain restricted and punished, and corruption is endemic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who was handpicked for president by the former dictator Nursultan Nazarbayev, will travel to Washington for the Board of Peace meeting, and will also use the trip to \u201cmeet with executives of leading American companies\u201d, his office said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (32\/100) \u2018Partly Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Shehbaz Sharif. Photograph: Pakistan\u2019s Prime Minister Office\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Pakistani foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told journalists in Islamabad that the country had joined the Board of Peace \u201cin good faith\u201d.<\/p>\n

Pakistan holds regular elections under a competitive multiparty system, Freedom House says<\/a>. \u201cHowever, the military exerts enormous influence over government formation and policies, intimidates the media, and enjoys impunity for indiscriminate or extralegal use of force.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (12\/100) \u2018Not Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Photograph: Anadolu Agency\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Despite some reforms under Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Freedom House says<\/a>, \u201cUzbekistan remains an authoritarian state with few signs of democratisation. No opposition parties operate legally\u201d. The president is a founding member of the Board of Peace.<\/p>\n

Vietnamese Communist party general secretary T\u00f4 L\u00e2m <\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (20\/100) \u2018Not Free\u2019<\/p>\n

T\u00f4 L\u00e2m. Photograph: Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP)\/EPA<\/p>\n

Vietnam is a one-party state. Last year, the print edition of the Economist, which featured T\u00f4 L\u00e2m on its cover, was banned in the country<\/a>, part of a long series of acts of media censorship by authorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cFreedom of expression, religious freedom, and civil society activism are tightly restricted,\u201d Freedom House says<\/a>. \u201cThe authorities have increasingly cracked down on citizens\u2019 use of social media and the internet to voice dissent and share uncensored information.\u201d<\/p>\n

EuropeAlbanian prime minister Edi Rama <\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (68\/100) \u2018Partly Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Edi Rama. Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert\/AP<\/p>\n

Albania, which is led by the socialist artist-politician Edi Rama, was a founding member of the Board of Peace. Rama said this week it would not become a permanent member, which comes with a $1bn price tag.<\/p>\n

The European country is considered \u201cpartly free\u201d by Freedom House, which says<\/a> Albania has a record of competitive elections. \u201cCorruption and bribery remain major problems, though the government is working to address corruption in the judiciary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (65\/100) \u2018Partly Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Viktor Orb\u00e1n. Photograph: Zolt\u00e1n Fischer\/Hungarian PM Press Office\/EPA<\/p>\n

The right-wing nationalist Viktor Orb\u00e1n is one of Trump\u2019s closest allies in the EU<\/a>, and is seen as a hero to many Maga supporters for his hostility to migration. He has made several visits to Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.<\/p>\n

Freedom House accuses<\/a> the Orb\u00e1n government of pushing through \u201canti-migrant and anti-LGBT+ policies, as well as laws that hamper the operations of opposition groups, journalists, universities, and nongovernmental organisations\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kosovan president Vjosa Osmani<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (60\/100) \u2018Partly Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Vjosa Osmani. Photograph: Fermin Rodriguez\/AP<\/p>\n

President Vjosa Osmani\u200b is the only woman who was a founding member<\/a> of Trump\u2019s Board of Peace.<\/p>\n

\u200bFreedom House says<\/a> the small country of 1.5 million people in south-east Europe\u200b is partly free, holding what it said were \u201ccredible and relatively well-administered elections\u200b\u201d. \u200b\u201cMany public institutions are undermined by entrenched corruption, though there are signs that a new generation of politicians are moving to confront corrupt practices through judicial and administrative reforms\u200b,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n

South AmericaArgentine president Javier Milei<\/p>\n

Freedom in the World Index score: (85\/100) \u2018Free\u2019<\/p>\n

Javier Milei. Photograph: Francisco Loureiro\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Argentina receives a high score in the index, with Freedom House celebrating<\/a> its \u201cvibrant representative democracy with competitive elections, lively media and civil society sectors, and unfettered public debate\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, the country is transforming under the 55-year-old former TV celebrity and liberatian president, Javier Milei, who along with other government officials has accused universities of \u201cindoctrinating students with leftwing ideology\u201d, according to Freedom House. Milei is a close ally of Trump, who threatened<\/a> to cut US aid if Argentinians did not back Milei\u2019s coalition in October legislative elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A grouping of largely oppressive and authoritarian world leaders and their envoys are flying to Washington for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-434491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}