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The United States voluntarily gives up yet another piece of soft power. Coming up next: The United States wonders why it doesn't have allies anymore and why th

The United States voluntarily gives up yet another piece of soft power. Coming up next: The United States wonders why it doesn't have allies anymore and why the rest of the world starts working around them.

1234letshaveatw 1y ago
isn't this more of an example of employing soft power?
- Jtsummers 1y ago
  Successful soft power requires you have a seat at the table. When you leave and stop participating, you reduce your soft power.
  - hersko 1y ago
    Sure, but if you are the only one holding up (funding) the table then the whole thing falls apart when you leave.
    - nobody9999 1y ago
      >Sure, but if you are the only one holding up (funding) the table then the whole thing falls apart when you leave. Since the US accounts for ~13%[0] of UNESCO funding, you're making GP's point for them. the US is giving up its seat at the table and UNESCO retains 87% of its funding. [0] https://core.unesco.org/en/sources-of-funding https://core.unesco.org/en/sources-of-funding
jl6 1y ago
It’s not giving up soft power, it’s gambling with soft power. The outcome Trump hopes for is that UNESCO fires whoever is setting its “woke” policies and comes back cap-in-hand, offering an agenda that is more to his liking. The risk is that UNESCO ignores the US and finds another patron state that wants to buy some influence - and that’s when the US loses.
- disgruntledphd2 1y ago
  Hilariously enough, the state that will step in is probably China. Like, if you wanted to make China look good on the international stage you'd be doing a lot of the stuff the current administration is doing. It's very sad, tbh. Like the US gov have always been less good than they claimed, but they've just gone full dark side now (and in such an ineffective way, at least economically).
WhyNotHugo 1y ago
> Coming up next: The United States wonders why it doesn't have allies anymore and why the rest of the world starts working around them. I doubt this happens. The US keeps bullying other countries and those same countries keep looking up to the US as if it were a big friendly ally.

1234letshaveatw 1y ago

isn't this more of an example of employing soft power?

Jtsummers 1y ago
Successful soft power requires you have a seat at the table. When you leave and stop participating, you reduce your soft power.
- hersko 1y ago
  Sure, but if you are the only one holding up (funding) the table then the whole thing falls apart when you leave.
  - nobody9999 1y ago
    >Sure, but if you are the only one holding up (funding) the table then the whole thing falls apart when you leave. Since the US accounts for ~13%[0] of UNESCO funding, you're making GP's point for them. the US is giving up its seat at the table and UNESCO retains 87% of its funding. [0] https://core.unesco.org/en/sources-of-funding https://core.unesco.org/en/sources-of-funding

jl6 1y ago

It’s not giving up soft power, it’s gambling with soft power. The outcome Trump hopes for is that UNESCO fires whoever is setting its “woke” policies and comes back cap-in-hand, offering an agenda that is more to his liking. The risk is that UNESCO ignores the US and finds another patron state that wants to buy some influence - and that’s when the US loses.

disgruntledphd2 1y ago
Hilariously enough, the state that will step in is probably China. Like, if you wanted to make China look good on the international stage you'd be doing a lot of the stuff the current administration is doing. It's very sad, tbh. Like the US gov have always been less good than they claimed, but they've just gone full dark side now (and in such an ineffective way, at least economically).

WhyNotHugo 1y ago

> Coming up next: The United States wonders why it doesn't have allies anymore and why the rest of the world starts working around them. I doubt this happens. The US keeps bullying other countries and those same countries keep looking up to the US as if it were a big friendly ally.