The U.S. War on UNESCO

Dear Mr. President,

How ironic: a story on page A6 of today’s New York Times, “Cutoff of U.S. Money Leads Unesco to Slash Programs and Seek Emergency Aid.” While the Taliban’s barbaric attack on education is blatant and unconscionable, the U.S. attacks education in more subtle ways, by withholding dues for 2011 and 2012 from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—$144 million so far—which has crippled their programs to promote freedom of expression and education for young women. While not as physically brutal as the attempted assassination of Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan a few days ago, the ultimate effects of the U.S.’s withholding of funds are the same as the Taliban’s war on education and free speech—and even more wide-ranging. In addition to crippling programs to educate young women, Unesco has been forced to eliminate or scale back programs to educate the Afghan police (Afghanistan has a 37% literacy rate), protect journalists, promote democracy in Africa and protect threatened historical sites. Granted, the de-funding of Unesco was not your doing, Mr. President, it was the result of legislation signed into law by Presidents George H.W. Bush in 1990 and Clinton in 1994 which prohibits funding any UN agency that recognizes a Palestinian state and last year when Unesco voted to admit Palestine as a full member, all U.S. funding stopped. Everyone but the rightwingnut ideologues in Congress agrees that this is counterproductive to American interests and yet nothing happens to reverse it. Ultimately, all wars are against the children and political wars are no exception. The de-funding of education here at home is mirrored by the de-funding of Unesco’s education programs abroad and children, the anonymous millions and the few famous like Malala Yousefzai, bear the brunt of the stupidity and fanaticism of ideologues. Ironic too, is that an October 31, 2011 article in The Washington Post, “UNESCO votes to admit Palestine; U.S. cuts off funding,” also mentioned that an Israeli drone attack the previous day killed 2 people in Gaza Our partner and ally, Israel, the bully of the Middle East, mirrors our illegal drone wars, our administrative detentions, our targeted assassinations and our illegal blockades on perceived enemies, while we support them in their attempt to commit genocide against the Palestinians and suppress anyone who opposes them. Partners in crimes against humanity. We are like lemmings following each other off the cliff.