Trump’s UNESCO and Iran decision

Abdullah Muradoglu

Donald Trump has announced that the US would unilaterally withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal if Congress did not find a way out within 60 days. The US has also withdrawn from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the grounds that it acts prejudiced against Israel.

Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Tre-aty with the Trans-Pacific deal and asked for the renegotiation of the North Am-erican Free Trade Agree-ment (NAFTA), pledging to end these agreements. But the globalist and pragmatist wings of the White House are trying to control Trump. Populist nationalists are fighting with the globalists so that Trump fulfills his election promises.

Nationalists, led by Steve Bannon, have waged war on the Republican leadership in Congress, which they consider a hindrance to Trump.

According to nationalists, the “American empire” and the “American nation state” are at a critical crossroads. The empire is destroying the nation state and the white Christian identity.

The multiculturalism that accompanies migration distorts the American identity, and manufacturing sliding outside of the country reduces jobs at home. Nationalists argue that the global empire brings in $20 trillion in debt.

The winners are multinational corporations and the US’s rival states such as China.

To put it briefly, nationalists say, “We will not sacrifice the American nation state to the empire, which has made the state the gendarme of globalization.” The slogan “Make America Great Again” promises to bring jobs back to white Americans.

It is also an element of this promise to bring high customs tariffs to import goods, especially Chinese steel. Nationalists advocate bilateral or trilateral agreements instead of multilateral ones.

After this summary, we can move on to background information about UNESCO. Before the US’s UNESCO decision, a campaign against Trump was launched in Israel. The matter was about Trump’s promise to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Trump declared that he suspended his pledge because he wanted to give peace efforts between Israel and Palestine a chance.

The pro-Netanyahu Israeli media strongly reacted to Trump’s decision, even stating that Trump was not a suitable President for the US

Also, Trump’s major pro-Israel donors came into play. One of these donors was Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire “king of casinos.” According to information leaked to the media, Trump met with Adelson when he went to Las Vegas because of the massacre that a white American had carried out. Adelson reproached Trump about not fulfilling his promise regarding Jerusalem.

Adelson also supports the hawks regarding Iran, cooperating with Bannon and his buddies who voice their pro-Israel attitude on all occasions.

Trump, who postponed relocating the embassy to Jerusalem, withdrew the US from UNESCO in order to calm Israel. UNESCO made decisions concerning Masjid al-Aqsa that disturbed Israel’s radical right segments. The US was one of the most important financial resources of UNESCO.

Trump’s reasons for the Iranian nuclear deal pleased the Israeli lobby and Republican hawks. Of course, there are those in Israel who want this agreement to continue. Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak told The New York Times that the deal was bad but necessary. It is even said that Netanyahu agrees with Barak.

There is no doubt that Iran is acting in accordance with the terms of the deal. That’s why the US is questioning why Trump wants to break the deal.

The reasons Trump put forward include Iran’s regional positions and headlines not included in the deal, such as Hezbollah. Israel wants the US to be at loggerheads with Iran because of these titles, rather than the breach of the agreement. It should be remembered that there is a different debate among Americans concerning the fact that Israel’s security is so intertwined with the US national interests.