Featured contributor Prof. Josef Mahoney joined CGTN Radio to discuss Trump quitting #unesco for a second time.

Trump cited UNSECO’s support for “woke, divisive cultural and social causes” and its “globalist, ideological agenda” as key reasons for withdrawal. What are these causes

There have been a couple of UNESCO projects that run contrary to Trump’s conservatism, including a "anti-racism toolkit" (2023) and a program challenging gender norms, called "Transforming MEN'talities” (2024).

He's also alleged it’s anti-Israel because UNESCO accepted Palestine as a member (2011). Conversely, UNESCO points to the work its done promoting Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, winning praise from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the World Jewish Congress.

Trump's abandoned many commitments. The question here is, why did he wait until now? It's likely he's sequenced this to maximize political impact, especially now given the fact that many Republicans are angry with his about-face on releasing the Epstein list.

Is this a retreat from global leadership or an attempt to reshape international norms?

While much of Trump’s base has been reified to hate the UN and UNESCO, many Americans simply believe the US is no longer able to pay for international programs, whatever their quality. Further, many Americans also believe the US is morally bankrupt and has no business spreading culture to others.

As for norms: Trump might be hostile to the very concept of an international norm. However, he believes he can bully others to follow his lead. In this way he might be trying to establish new norms, even if he’s more of a destructive agent than a constructive one.

This is the third time the US has withdrawn from UNESCO, with previous exits in 1984 and 2017. How do they reflect the deeper trends in US foreign policy?

Reagan quit in 1984, citing high overhead costs, the need for reform, and anti-American bias, asserting UNESCO favoured the USSR and socialist concepts of statehood. Trump quit in 2017, then also alleging anti-Israel bias and claiming UNESCO was simply out of step with his America-first foreign policy.

In fact, US conservatives have long hated the UN, not just UNESCO. McCarthy, Goldwater, Reagan, Trump and many others. They often malign the UN directly but don't have the guts to quit it--the seat on UNSC is too much power to abandon. Instead they target UNESCO or other affiliated organizations as part of their culture war.

How might this latest exit affect UNESCO’s operations?

Previously, the US was a significant contributor. UNESCO diversified its funding in 2017. Now, the US contribution represents about 8%. Programs the US championed might be scaled back, but others will move forward, including those the US discourages, like establishing global standards for AI ethics.

#china has already become UNESCO's largest financial contributor and by some accounts has actively sought to use the organization to promote its own interests, including the #bri.

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