Can the Trump administration live up to America’s historic commitment as a peace broker?

When President Trump gave his inaugural address, he said that his legacy “will be that of a peacemaker.” What Trump gets wrong about peacemaking is that it’s not about pursuing the same negotiation strategy as in his book, “The Art of the Deal.” Peace does not occur because one man thinks big and keeps pushing until he gets his way. Peace is the collective effort of a group of people to engage in a process of negotiation, reconciliation and implementation. Peace agreements need strong institutions to be implemented.

While the president tries to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, his administration is destroying the institutions that build peace. The U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent nonprofit formed by Congress in 1984, was shut down by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a matter of days.

DOGE also shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), laying off staff from the Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization and the Office of Transition Initiatives. These offices worked with governments and civil society leaders to make the transition from war to peace. Secretary Pete Hegseth also wants to cut initiatives that protect civilians and encourage women’s participation in peace processes from the Department of Defense. The administration is rendering critical resources for sustaining peace defunct.

So, how can Trump deliver on his promise?

Trump should consider how an increase in defense spending is delivering peace. The U.S. is paying a steep price for war. In the past 20 years, nearly $8 trillion has been spent fighting wars abroad. The administration’s new FY26 budget would significantly increase defense spending to over $1 trillion at the expense of investments in education and health care. In comparison, the budget of the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) was $55 million. Defense spending already makes up nearly 50% of discretionary funding allocated by Congress.

The U.S. commitment to negotiate peace through diplomatic efforts has always been a bipartisan effort, and needs continued support from Congress. President Reagan signed the law that formed USIP during intense conflict with the Soviet Union. In 1985, Reagan gave a speech about efforts to make peace with Mikhail Gorbachev, stating that “Freedom and democracy are the best guarantors of peace,” and that “Great states live up to their international obligations.”

Since Trump believes that his life was spared by God, he would also benefit from consulting Christian teachings on war. When Jesus gave his first public address on a hill in northern Israel, he said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” The call is plural, it is greater than one man.

This call has led the Catholic Church to develop a theory of just war, with a series of ethical principles that, if applied, can guide warring parties to a just peace framework that recognizes the mutual rights of the states and commits to the work of reconciliation. Applying these principles to negotiations with Russia would, at a minimum, assure Ukraine of security guarantees to protect it from attack.

Peace is a process that needs time and the support of strong institutions. Reconciliation engages the whole society and is backed by institutions that deliver results. When Syria’s interim president held a national dialogue, the forum brought ethnic and religious groups together to form a government.

It can take over a decade to implement peace agreements. While a 2016 peace agreement in Colombia disarmed the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), provisions to protect ethnic groups continue to be monitored for implementation. Effective peace processes involve security institutions to create a safe environment. The ongoing conflict in South Sudan shows that having armed groups that are loyal to one leader can spoil the peace process.

Peace imposed by strength is not sustainable. That is why the U.S. Army developed a doctrine on peace operations so that senior military leaders would know how to operate within international institutions that work to end wars and make peace hold. Trump should reconsider his go-it-alone approach to peace negotiations and allow government institutions to fulfill their historic commitments to deliver on the promise of peace.