Key points
- Trump praised as “greatest dealmaker” by State Department
- USIP dismantled under Trump’s executive order
- Trump’s peace efforts linked to Nobel ambitions
WASHINGTON, United States: The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has been renamed in honour of President Donald Trump, the State Department said on Wednesday, the eve of a peace agreement signing ceremony between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
“This morning, the State Department renamed the former Institute of Peace to reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history. Welcome to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. The best is yet to come,” the department posted on social media, reports AFP.
The post included a picture of the USIP building, showing Trump’s full name added on a wall above the engraved name of the organization.
In February, Trump issued an executive order seeking to dismantle USIP. The organization’s president was removed from its headquarters by law enforcement, and the administration fired nearly all of its Washington-based staff, US media reported.
Resolving international conflicts
USIP was created in 1984 by former President Ronald Reagan. Funded by Congress, it is an independent non-profit organization aimed at preventing and resolving international conflicts.
Under previous presidents, it had functioned not unlike a think tank, employing academics, researchers and experts on international affairs.
On Thursday, Trump is scheduled to attend the signing of a peace agreement between DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Trump has made no secret of his view of himself as a “peacemaker,” as well as his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
