Trump’s Peace Plan and the Fractured Global Order
November 22, 2025
The world is not short of crises, but recent headlines converge on a single theme: fractured authority. From Washington’s unilateral peace plan for Ukraine to Johannesburg’s historic G20 summit without U.S. participation, the global order is being rewritten in real time. Nigeria’s mass abduction crisis only underscores how fragile states are left to fend for themselves while great powers posture.
The Plan That Tilts the Balance
President Donald Trump unveiled a 28‑point peace proposal for Ukraine that heavily favors Moscow’s demands. It requires Kyiv to cede Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk, freeze the status of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, abandon NATO aspirations, and downsize its military.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it “one of the most difficult moments” in the nation’s history, warning of a choice between dignity and partnership. European leaders at the G20 summit in South Africa condemned the plan as exclusionary, noting they were sidelined from consultations.
A Summit Without America
The G20’s first‑ever meeting on African soil opened in Johannesburg under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” Yet Trump boycotted the summit, citing grievances about South Africa’s treatment of white citizens. Despite his absence, 42 nations adopted a leaders’ declaration committing to climate adaptation, debt relief, and equitable mineral revenue distribution.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized consensus, but the symbolism was stark: a global summit proceeding without U.S. leadership.
Nigeria’s Domestic Collapse
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu canceled his G20 attendance to address a spiraling crisis at home. Armed gunmen abducted 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, marking the second mass abduction in a week.
The kidnappings highlight Nigeria’s vulnerability: while global powers debate peace plans and summits, fragile states are consumed by internal collapse. Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the summit, but the absence of its leader underscored the gravity of the domestic emergency.
Implications
The fractures are clear:
- Washington’s unilateralism risks legitimizing Russian territorial gains.
- The G20’s declaration without U.S. participation signals a shift toward multipolar consensus.
- Nigeria’s crisis shows how fragile states are left exposed while global powers maneuver.
For observers, the imperative is to track not just the crises themselves, but the language and absences that define them. When summits proceed without America, when peace plans tilt toward Moscow, and when Nigeria’s children vanish into the hands of gunmen, the dread is not abstract — it is quantified in the erosion of authority itself.