Putting the "Deal" in Peace Deals: Trump's New Playbook, Explained
"Transactional" foreign policy horrifies the critics. Yet Trump's strategy enriches all parties, and ties their growing wealth to maintaining the peace, all while advancing America's global reach.
NOTE: I have had a lot to say about the emerging Trump Doctrine: “Commerce Not Chaos”. Today, we offer a detailed look at the mechanics of peace, how Trump is implementing a completely new approach to conflict resolution, far fairer and far superior to anything on offer from China, Europe, Russia, or heretofore, the United States. Yes, it’s better for America. But the bigger point is that it’s better for all involved — true win-win — a rarer concept than one might think.
That’s why Trump’s been able to broker six peace deals — in intractable conflicts — in six months. He’s offering U.S.-led opportunities that the parties believe are more attractive than continuing to bounce the rubble.
I encourage you to read my recent FREE discussion of the Trump strategy. And then enjoy today’s deeper look at the new mechanics of peace. — RDM
Putting the "Deal" in Peace Deals: Trump's New Playbook, Explained
by Tamuz Itai
August 27, 2025
In an era in which traditional diplomacy often falters amid endless aid commitments and fleeting cease-fires, a novel approach is taking shape under the Trump administration. What if peace were not merely an idealistic goal but a structured business model?
Imagine resolving decades of conflict by bundling cease-fires with revenue-generating infrastructure — railways that reroute trade, mining rights that fuel reconstruction, or ports that secure long-term leverage.
This is the essence of what one could term the “Corridors for Peace” playbook, what Donald Trump has called “Commerce Not Chaos”, a strategy the United States has already deployed — and revealed — across three continents in just the last six months. From Ukraine’s mineral fields to Central Africa’s copper belt and a new transit route in the South Caucasus, these deals publicly emphasize reconciliation while privately reshaping strategic geography to favor U.S. interests, sideline rivals, and transition from aid dependency to self-sustaining economic ties.
Taken together, these reveal a repeatable playbook. At its core lies a security-for-economics exchange: halting hostilities in return for access to profit-generating assets. This is coupled with exclusive U.S. oversight or development rights over corridors, funds, or resource sectors and deliberate supply chain rerouting to diminish the influence of adversaries such as Russia, China, or Iran.