United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, shortened, UNESCO, is an institution, based in Paris, works under the United Nations. It established in 1946, after World War II. The institution has been working on education, science, and culture for many years and adopts the respect of human rights and freedoms as the basic principle without regard to the differences between people, language, religion, race, and sex. Its aim is to realize cooperation between the nations in the fields of education, science, and culture and to provide closer relations. Reducing the number of illiterate people, helping schools and libraries, organizing cultural events for underdeveloped countries can be cited as examples of UNESCO’s work. Even though; UNESCO’s tasks are in the fields of science, culture, and education, the most important one is that the historical monuments in the member countries take the structures as world heritage.

As of January 1st, 2019, the United States and Israel officially quit from UNESCO on the grounds that it strengthened anti-Israeli prejudices. Everything has started with the decision of adding the Old City in Al-Khalil, Palestine to the World Heritage List which is made by UNESCO. In response to this decision; the US and Israel decided to leave the institution. The main reason for Israel’s departure from UNESCO has explained that after the El Khalil in Palestine was included in the World Cultural Heritage List, Palestine was given a separate state status and had a full member status in the institution. UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay stated that the decision taken by the Israeli government was met with sadness in unity, that UNESCO advocated freedom of expression and that it has hitherto been against anti-Semitism and racism. After UNESCO accepted Palestine as a full member, not only UNESCO’s relation with Israel but also its relation with the United States was strained, and the United States had lost its voting rights because it did not pay an annual contribution of 80 million dollars to the institution. As the number of contributions paid by the United States accounted for 22 percent of UNESCO’s income, the institution had to face a serious economic crisis in recent years and had to suspend many activities.

To analyze this breaking news from a realist perspective, here is some core information about realism below:

Realism is a theory which first appeared as an opposed to the theory of liberalism. Idealists, the liberals during the interwar period, ignored the importance of power in politics and they tried to create a new world order. As a result; realists blame idealists with being “utopians.” Realism has always been a current, independent of time and space. For realists, power is very important and they believe that we are living under power politics. Since we are living under power politics according to realists; they strongly believe that the strong do what they can, the weak must suffer what they must. In addition; realism has three core elements which are state-centrism, survival, and self-help. For realists, the state is the most important thing, in other words, the state is the principal actor; every actor than the state is temporary but states are permanent. So, realists ignore the importance of other actors such as international organizations. They claimed that international organizations are dependent on the state. Realists believe that international organizations are the only function for the interests of the states, especially for the interests of the most powerful one. In other words; international organizations are used by the hegemony and great powers to further their interests in the international system. So; it can be said that great powers usually benefit from the existing order and have an interest in maintaining it. On the other hand; other non-great-power states may also use international organizations to attain goals and to have a voice within the existing system. Moreover; Realists do not believe that an international organization can stop powerful countries from doing something, particularly if their interests are not aligned on a said issue.

This is very much related to the breaking news that was explained at the beginning. Israel quit the union on the grounds that UNESCO has committed anti-Israeli propaganda. Israel is invading Palestine and they claim that there is no country is called “Palestine”, moreover; the land that Palestine has belongs to Israel. Israel is an important power in today’s world, especially in the Middle East. That is why no one can say a word while they were intervening Palestine. With giving the full member status to Palestine, UNESCO did not recognize the supremacy of Israel and its invasion in Palestine, thus; UNESCO turned an enemy for Israel. As a result; since Israel’s interest is not getting along with the UNESCO and since Israel cannot enforce UNESCO to dismiss the membership of Palestine, they quit it.

The United State side of the issue is also the same. The United State is the today’s hegemonic power in the world. Since the hegemonic power, the United States, supports Israeli invasion of Palestine, just like Israel, their interest is also not getting along with UNESCO. In addition; this is not the first time that the United States quit UNESCO. The USA, which was run by Reagan, left UNESCO in 1984, on the grounds that UNESCO’s observing the Soviet interests. It was again a member of the institution in 2003. The state cannot enforce an international institution to seek for its profits, so; if there is a conflict between the state and the international institution, in terms of interest, the state quits and protest the institution most of the time. This is the most important reason why realists do not believe in the success of international institutions. Because every state is seeking their interest and there is no possibility for a cooperation in international institutions.

To sum up; UNESCO is an international institution under the United Nations. The United States and Israel officially quit UNESCO as of January 1st, 2019 on the grounds that it strengthened anti-Israeli prejudices. Their action can clearly explain with the realist IR theory. According to realists; international organizations are the only function for the interests of the states, especially for the most powerful one. As long as the state maximizes its interests, enforces its opinions, effects and shapes institutions’ policies in the international institutions; there will not be any conflict between the state and the institution. However; if the institution rejects the power of a state and does things which are against the interests of the state; the state protests, threats the institution by sanctions, if not work or cannot change something, then the state lefts the institution.