I’ll Take Any Peace I Can Get

A day. A week. A month. Any stretch of time where people aren’t killing people—I’ll take it. It’s always a win. Even fragile peace is better than none.

Yeah, the praise and prize-giving for Trump is creepy. The MAGA crowd’s already designing his face for Mount Rushmore. But let’s be real—no bombs dropping is still better than bombs dropping. That’s just the math of war and peace.

But reality doesn’t get the day off. Forty people died in Gaza today. So for Israel, it’s peace in one hand, guns in the other. For Putin, it’s condemning U.S. bombing while bombing hospitals in Kyiv. Hypocrisy is the native language of geopolitics.

Trump’s version of peace is “let’s make deals, not war.” And you know what? I hope it works. I really do. But I’m skeptical. Because trade isn’t the opposite of war. Trade is Trump’s religion. But it isn’t the religion of the Supreme Leader of Iran. Or Netanyahu. Or Putin. Only Xi might worship at the same altar—because for China, trade is power.

Trump also makes it harder than it needs to be. There was a good deal with Iran—he tore it up. He’ll be lucky to get a worse one back on the table.

In foreign affairs, skepticism isn’t just healthy—it’s mandatory. Nobody says what they mean. Everyone’s running their own hustle. And Trump’s charisma act? That doesn’t work in this room. Neither does bullying. This is a table of killers, not campaign donors.

And yet, there are tools that work. Talking works. Agreements work—even if they’re flimsy. Institutions like the UN? Not perfect, but better than the alternative. NATO? NATO could end the Ukraine war tomorrow—if it had the will. Trump mocks them both. Big mistake.

Because peace? Peace is a fragile, living thing. You don’t disrespect the tools that keep it alive.