Bangladesh, Jan. 26 -- American global power has never been exercised solely through military force. Equally central to its dominance has been the ability to design, redesign, and selectively bypass international systems of governance. From institutions and coalitions to doctrines and diplomatic frameworks, the United States has repeatedly demonstrated that when the rules of the global order no longer serve its interests, those rules can be revised-or replaced entirely. It is within this historical continuum that US President Donald Trumps proposed “Board of Peace” must be understood.

Announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos with characteristic bravado, Trump presented the Board of Peace as a revolutionary instrument fo...