Trump, Vance, Rubio and Witkoff Are Moving Peace Forward

Last Monday when I wrote Witkoff Revisited I was relatively despondent. Nothing seemed to be working very well for Trump on the four diplomatic fronts of Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, and China. Then India and Pakistan went to war. My schizoaffective emotions, which are extremely sensitive to world events, reached a low point on Friday morning. But everything seems to have taken a turn for the better over Mother's Day weekend, and this Monday morning I am cautiously upbeat. 

Zelensky appears ready for direct talks with Putin in Istanbul on May 15 (cf. Zelenskiy tells Putin to come to Turkey if he wants talks, after Trump intervention | Reuters and Turkey's Erdogan Tells Putin and Macron Efforts to End Ukraine War at ‘Turning Point’ | The Moscow Times).

Witkoff is in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss Gaza ahead of Trump's Saudi Arabia visit (cf. Alexander release to trigger 'immediate peace talks,' source tells CNN | The Times of Israel and Steve Witkoff, Benjamin Netanyahu to meet in Israel on hostage talks | The Jerusalem Post). 

Direct Iran-US nuclear talks are back on track (cf. Tehran says 4th round of nuclear talks difficult, while US 'encouraged' | The Times of Israel). 

China and the US reached a truce in the trade war in Geneva on Sunday (cf. What's in China-US trade deal? Tariff cuts and key details | Reuters). 

On Friday, Secretary Rubio announced a U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire between India and Pakistan:

Over the past 48 hours, Vice President Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik.

I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.

We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.

As of this writing, the ceasefire is still holding (cf. India-Pakistan tensions: Top military officials to speak as ceasefire holds).

It is a challenge to achieve and maintain psychospiritual equanimity with my news feed. Publicly, Biden accuses Trump of appeasing Putin. Privately, Netanyahu may worry that Trump is appeasing Iran, Qatar and Hamas. Modi, for his part, may worry that Trump is appeasing Pakistan. All of these fronts are both fraught with risk and ripe for hope's picking. There is much to be concerned about even as we trust with the faith of Gandhi and MLK that peace is sure to win the day.

President Trump is not our US climate security messiah, but I am comfortable leaving that style of leadership until 2028, if Trump can deliver strategic stability and a pathway to nuclear arms control in the meantime. I pray daily for the success of the Trump administration on the nuclear file, and for the loyal opposition - which may or may not be the 2028 Republican vanguard - on the climate security file. Vance and Rubio in particular are sure to evolve in their handling of both files over the next three years. And so, for that matter, might the UN and the IPCC. I don't want to rule out the power of miraculous, prayerful breakthroughs in our understanding of the connection between God, humanity, and the biosphere.