Hacker News Reader

Comment by nsypteras | Hacker News Reader

1984: U.S. withdraws. 2003: U.S. rejoins. 2011: U.S. stops paying dues after Palestine joins. 2017: U.S. announces withdrawal (effective end of 2018). 2023: U.S. rejoins, pledges to repay dues. 2025: U.S announces withdrawal

Seems to be a revolving door

View on HN

They're getting ready to bomb Iran's UNESCO sites. They did bomb several UNESCO sites in Yugoslavia and other places while they left. Their boy Grossi also told the whole world that there is a big target on a UNESCO site a short while back.

Which site in Yugoslavia did they bomb?

NATO bombings damaged a Kosovo (post Yugoslavia) church in 1999 that was later added to UNESCO in 2006

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gra%C4%8Danica_Monastery

So its a time traveling crime?

History mismatch/Mandela effect? Some of the bombed sites were already known as culturally significant but not recognized by unesco yet, like Novi Sad that became a unesco creative city in 2023.

UNESCO Creative cities are very different from UNESCO world heritage sites.

Makes me wonder if officials at UNESCO even cares about the decision. "Oh that again?" Probably already used to this.

Similar to the Israeli ambassador being recalled from Dublin. They mean it as a big dramatic statement but they've done it that many times it's lost all significance.

She only gets reinstated again for the purpose of making another dramatic exit.

They always send their most incompetent ambassadors to Dublin, ones that put their foot in their own mouth.

I suppose looking at it from the Israeli government's perspective, Ireland is a very safe place for Israelis and Jewish people in general, but the public and government are vocal on Israel's actions and there's no defence/intelligence links between the two countries. Trade links are on the European level.

There'll never be a reason for them to send a skilled diplomat, so may as well send a shit stirrer who's only good for causing controversy.

when you put that way its pretty logical.

They’re never happy about the loss of money. For UN institutions, the US usually contributes a theoretical cap of about 22% but in real terms I think it’s more like a quarter of their annual budget or a little over in some cases. When we’re not paying, that’s a lot of money that UNESCO isn’t getting.

Predictably, if/when China becomes the premier funder of UN organizations, there will be a lot of grousing about it by US politicians. The amount of soft-power being trashed is astounding

We’re the ones seeking to cap our contributions. The formula currently doesn’t allow for any one country to pay more than 22% with America the only one actually paying that much, save for the institutions we’ve cut off. For UN peacekeeping we’re actually assessed at 27% but Congress capped that to 25% back in 1993.

https://betterworldcampaign.org/us-funding-for-the-un/un-bud...

If any other country wants to step in and fill the gap, I don’t think Congress will care.

> If any other country wants to step in and fill the gap, I don’t think Congress will care

"Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Authorization Act of 2023[1]" says otherwise.

1. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1157...

All of our foreign policy prior to January 20th 2025 is in a state of flux. Officially, Congress cares, but the first 7 or so months of this year have been enlightening in a strange way, and with our President taking the lead, there is a strong possibility that Congress will not care if the possibility of the PRC paying more comes up in any policy discussions.

Eh china finances a ton of members, who better vote in line as debtors should

If you abandon it completely something else might rise up - but funding/participating only up to a point, it works to suppress it - see Ukraine aid policies aswell

Look at the years, and see how they match up with the administration in power...

  1984 withdraw Reagan
  2003 rejoin   Bush
  2011 protest  Obama (forced by law)
  2017 withdraw Trump
  2023 rejoin   Biden
  2025 withdraw Trump

Kinda tracks, except for the Bush one.

Tbf, if you remove the Biden 2023 pledge, the rest makes sense:

In the two decades between 1984 and 2003, UNESCO implemented a number of reforms in management+transparency+politicization, and the U.S. returned.

Then Palestine was admitted, and the U.S. left.

Cycle of politician appeasing their genocidal masters until the government start to realize what that means exactly at which point we pull back to humanity.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com