Trump was put up for Nobel Peace Prize, so he must be a top mediator. Right?

US President Donald Trump’s methods for mediating international conflicts may backfire and lead to more confrontation, experts in China have warned.

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Trump’s mediation tactics revealed a power politics approach and constituted ill-advised interference in the long term, Zhang Luwei, a research associate at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said in an article published on the institute’s social media account last week.

She said Trump was known for taking a high profile and being heavy-handed, with a mediation style that used America’s dominant position to forcibly intervene in regional disputes and pressure conflicting parties into so-called ceasefire agreements.

However, these peace deals might be temporary while failing to address deep-rooted grievances stemming from historical legacies and existing threats, which sowed seeds for long-term friction and confrontation, Zhang said.

“His diplomatic means reduce complex geopolitical conflicts to mere schoolyard fights. They show no respect for historical context, nor the strategic patience needed to resolve underlying disputes.”

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South China Morning Post

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