India, Jan. 23 -- There was no Indian presence as US President Donald Trump on Thursday launched his Board of Peace, a body conceived for working for peace in Gaza but whose open-ended role in tackling global conflicts has given rise to concerns about the undermining of the United Nations. Thus far, no permanent member of the UN Security Council (other than the US) has joined the board, nor has any member of G7 (other than the US).

As Trump presided over a signing ceremony for the board on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he again played up his role in purportedly ending eight wars in nine months, including the conflict between India and Pakistan last May. With Pakistan among 19 countries that joined the cer...