In this week’s Monday Briefing we pay a visit to Washington DC, where the Board of Peace held its first meeting. Across town, the US Supreme court ruled against Trump’s Tariffs. Peruvian instability continues and Somaliland tries to achieve international recognition. In the UK, former prince Andrew Mountbatten is arrested.
Spotlight: The Board of Peace
This week marked the first and historical meeting of the Board of Peace, Trump’s new International Organization. After months of anticipation the US administration revealed to the world this new body, initially created to address the peacemaking process in Gaza but also intended to be a framework for larger peace efforts. On February 19th, in Washington DC, representatives from the 22 countries that have accepted the US invitation have joined the President to open a new era in Diplomacy and Peacekeeping. Or maybe not.
The Board of Peace is essentially an exclusive group of countries, most of which have personal or ideological connection with the Chairman Donald Trump. It was endorsed by United Nations Security Council with Resolution 2803, specifically for its role in the implementation of the peace process in Gaza. The BoP notably features several US government officials, like Rubio and Witkoff, but also former British PM Tony Blair, who has been somewhat of a figure head for the Gaza deal. Among the member states we find Argentina, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey. Among the Europeans, Hungary and Bulgaria have decided to join, with others (like Italy) that sent observers to the meeting. Notable absents are the other permanent members of the UNSC, Britain and France, but also China and Russia, while the most striking one is definitely Isreal, which one might think should be somewhat part of the discussion when the future Gaza is on the table.
Many, especially in Europe, have voiced their preoccupation that Trump is trying to build and alternative UN. This shared sentiment among world leaders was put more explicitly by Brazilian President Lula, who argued that “President Trump is proposing to create a new UN where only he is the owner”. This capture perfectly the key difference between the UN institutions and the new Board of Peace: although the US already plays a central role in the UNSC, Trump has engineered an organization which is practically and structurally centered on its founder and chairman. The extensive powers of the US include Veto on all the Board’s resolutions and the ability to invite or exclude members.
While the stated goal of fostering world peace, especially in the war-torn Gaza, is shared by most of the International Community, the approach and methods employed by Trump and the new Board of Peace seem to be far from ideal. Only the future will tell whether this new organization will be able to deliver the peace it promises, and if the BoP will continue to be active after 2028.
World News
Peru Removes President After Four Months in Office
by Diego de Carvalho
Congressman José Jerí was removed from his position as the Peru’s president following a vote by the country’s parliament on Tuesday (17th). Jerí had been serving as the country’s interim president since October, when he succeeded former president Dina Boluarte. He is now replaced by congressman José María Balcázar, who took office on Wednesday (18th of February).
Jerí’s removal is another chapter of political instability in Peru, which now has its eighth president in the past 10 years. His fall from power comes following “Chifagate”, a scandal in which he was caught having secret meetings with Chinese businessmen, sparking accusations of bribery and corruption.
Jerí himself was not directly elected to the presidency: his two predecessors Pedro Castillo and Dina Boluarte, who won the 2021 Presidential elections, were removed from power in 2022 and 2025, respectively. As he was only an interim, Jerí could be removed from the presidency by a simple majority vote from Congress.
Peru will realize general elections in April, when it will elect a new president and renew both chambers of its legislature. The suffrage will come in a scenario of deep political upheaval: Dina Boluarte regularly enjoyed the worst approval of any head of executive in the world during her presidency and Peru’s Congress is currently approved by only 5% of the country’s population.
Supreme Court Ruling Derails Trump’s Trade Plan
by Teodora Stefan
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a significant setback to President Donald Trump’s trade agenda, ruling 6–3 that his 10 percent global tariff on imports from all countries exceeded presidential authority and violated U.S. law. The high court found that Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose “reciprocal” tariffs lacked clear statutory backing, reaffirming that major trade and taxation powers rest with Congress rather than the executive branch. The decision marks a rare loss for the White house, dealt by a Supreme Court dominated by Republican-appointed justices.
Trump reacted with sharp criticism, accusing the justices of being “unpatriotic” and influenced by foreign interests, and challenging the constitutional balance affirmed by the Court.
In response to the ruling, the President also announced a new tariff scheme, raising the global rate to 15 percent by invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a rarely used authority that permits temporary tariffs for up to 150 days. Administration officials argued this move complies with existing law despite limitations that make it narrower in scope than the invalidated regime.
Internationally, the ruling has injected uncertainty into trade relations, particularly with the European Union. EU lawmakers are seeking amendments to the EU-U.S. trade deal struck last July, including clauses that would allow suspension or termination of the agreement if similar threats to territorial integrity reoccur.
Somaliland offers US access to minerals for recognition
by Riccardo de Ambrogi
In its seek of international recognition, the “Somaliland’s minister of the presidency” Khadar Hussein Abdi have offered mineral concessions to Israel and USA.
The region, part of Somalia but de facto independent since 1991, was never officially recognized by any UN country. This lasted until last December, when Israel became the first to do it, accused by the Somalian representatives of mining their territorial integrity, backed by many Arab and African leaders.
According to Hussein Abdi, the recognition would be strategical for the US due to the presence of lithium and coltan, but also useful to the development of his country due to the local employment, in an economy still highly dependent on farming.
In a fragmented geopolitical context, Somaliland tried to become a strategical asset for Israel and US, gaining official international recognition and protect itself from the external pressures by Somalia executive and Yemeni Houthi.
Beyond minerals, Somaliland have a strategic location across the Gulf of Aden, characteristic that made Israel interested in the region, both for economic and military reasons.
The openness of the country has been widely expressed, in the next months US may evaluate their interest in the proposal and the situation of the region may escalate quickly, also considering that Hussein Abdi already said he cannot exclude the possibility of Israeli military forces in the region
European News
The Royal Family deals with moral disgrace after the arrest of former Prince Andrew
“My family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.” King Charles III has been confronted by provocative interviews addressing the potential tarnishing of the Royal Family’s morals after his brother, former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been accused of providing confidential government information to Mr. Jeffrey Epstein. On Thursday February 19th, 2026, the former prince has been put under arrest following the protracted non-disclosed connection with the infamous U.S. sex offender, thus contributing to the portrayal of an internally corrupted monarchy that risks losing its reputational integrity. Former Prince Andrew had already been accused of coercing 17-year-old Ms. Giuffre into sexual interaction as resulting from the broader illegal trafficking orchestrated by Mr. Epstein; moreover, in 2010, the two had been spotted walking side by side in New York, under the alleged intention of the former prince to end their friendship in-person.
Still, the most recently leaked Epstein files shed light on the prolonged correspondence between them, which has now come to damage the royal status of the Windsor family as it tries to cope with the sexual allegations against one of its members. Although the most recent investigation is focused on finding any traces of service misconduct throughout his job as a British trade envoy, the case against the former prince is relying upon the pre-built image of a sexual criminal, who had conspired with Mr. Epstein over the years until being denied his royal titles and exiled from his royal home.
An individually pessimistic picture may not have as much of a widespread impact among ordinary people, but it does make a difference within the math of a stereotypically perfect-picture family that carries the weight of royal formality, and that is supposed to live up to it in public. Crime commitment by former prince Andrew could, thus, propagate as the historical precedent for non-credible royal respectability, across generations.
Every week, your TiL Monday Briefing 🗞: you better read it with a cup of coffee! ☕️
Head of the Monday Briefing column: Pietro Ferrari. Current writing staff: Vatsal Aggarwal, Cristiana Murè. Cartoons by Polina Mednikova. The Monday Briefing column was established in its current form in 2021 by Bojan Zeric.
Hello everyone! My name is Teodora and I’m a 3rd year BIEM student from Bucharest, Romania. I spend my free time reading up on political issues from around the world and I’m particularly keen on topics concerning the European Union. On a more personal note, I’m passionate about art history, music and writing about the world around me.
