peter> These are fascinating issues and I'd be interested to learn more.
peter> The US paid its back dues immediately after 9-11, which was quite
peter> a turnabout.
One thing seems clear: the conventional view says the US left UNESCO because of corruption, mismanagement, and ideological bias; but the most recent reports I can find suggest that the corruption and mismanagement have not been adequately addressed, so it's not at all clear that Bush's recent suggestion that the US rejoin UNESCO, based on its reform, makes much sense. If US left because of mismanagement, which doesn't seem yet to have been fully cleaned up, the reforms which are the basis of the US rejoining are either reforms of another type or simply a pretext.
Kendall Clark
PS--Some of the stuff I turned up from a casual googling includes:
A fact sheet (http://www.betterworldfund.org/factsheets/o_24260.shtml) about the US returning to UNESCO from the "Better World Foundation" includes the following:
The United States was among the first 20 nations to ratify the UN
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO's)
constitution in 1946. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan stated that the
U.S. would withdraw from UNESCO unless management practices were
reformed and internal biases and corrupt practices ended. When
acceptable reforms were not made, the U.S. withdrew at the end of 1984.
The U.S. withdrawal, coupled with those of the United Kingdom and
Singapore during the same period, led to a 30 percent reduction in
contributions by UNESCO and an overall increase in the dues paid by the
remaining member countries. The UK rejoined in 1997. There have been 10
withdrawals and 8 reentries to date.
How can the U.S. rejoin UNESCO?
To rejoin UNESCO, the U.S. must authorize and pay approximately $60
million in assessed membership dues. In May 2001, the House
International Relations Committee adopted an amendment proposed by
Reps. Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Jim Leach (R-IA) to insert funding for
UNESCO into the 2002-2003 Foreign Relations Authorization Bill. An
amendment to remove this funding was debated on the House floor and was
defeated 225-193, and the final version of the Authorization bill
passed by a margin of 352-73 on May 16, 2001. The Senate must pass
similar legislation to ensure the U.S. is able to re-enter in 2003.
Why should the U.S. rejoin UNESCO?
* UNESCO has reformed. In the 18 years since the U.S. withdrew from
UNESCO, dramatic steps have been taken to reform the organization:
staff has been cut, management has been overhauled, and bias and
corruption have been replaced with an organization that fosters
public diplomacy. Former Secretary of State George Schultz, who in
1984 signed the U.S. resignation, today supports returning to
UNESCO because of the organization's successful efforts at reform.
* UNESCO promotes international security, stability and cooperation
essential to waging the "cultural offense" against
terrorism...
* Membership will give the U.S. a say on key issues of national
interest. For example, it will allow the U.S. to influence
upcoming discussions on international standards for bioethics.
* U.S. leadership will allow UNESCO to better carry out its
objectives. The current Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro
Matsuura, welcomes the idea of U.S. membership...
(The Better World Campaign (BWC) is a project of the Better World Fund, which was created with initial support from businessman and philanthropist R.E. Turner as part of his historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes.)
UNESCO's Fat Gets a Trim: And Reform Is in the Air By Barbara Crossette New York Times March 5, 2000
United Nations -- In the family of United Nations agencies, UNESCO has
long been the spoiled child. The top jobs -- in Paris, no less -- were
invariably cushy and easy to get with a little political
pull. Reformers anxious to curb the selfish traits of this wayward
offspring came and went without a trace.
...
In 1984, the information proposal and mismanagement at the top of the
organization prompted the United States to withdraw from
Unesco. Britain and Singapore followed suit, but Britain went back in
1997 under Prime Minister Tony Blair. President Clinton told Unesco in
1995 that he was prepared to restore American membership, but
administration officials say there is no money to rejoin. Mr. Matsuura
hopes to tempt the United States back in with a reform plan he says he
will put in place this spring.
Nepotism and Excess Found Rampant at UNESCO By Steven Edwards Toronto National Post October 2, 2000 http://www.globalpolicy.org/finance/docs00/unesco.htm
Plan to Close Down the UNESCO Magazine Under Fire By Julio Godoy Inter Press Service June 7, 2001 http://www.globalpolicy.org/finance/unagencies/unesco/2001/0607unes.htm
Courier - the flagship publication of Unesco - is under fire: it does
not cover its costs by selling enough copies. Unesco's Director
General Koichiro Matsuura now wants to close it down, facing an
overwhelming opposition from member states and, of course, staff. The
underlying issue is whether a cultural publication with no advertising
can be expected to live up to market rules. A plan by the UN
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Director
General, Koichiro Matsuura, to close down the organisation's magazine,
Courier, has sparked a bitter opposition . In an official document
presented to the UNESCO Executive Committee, Matsuura argued that
Courier has been facing financial difficulties and declining
readership. According to official figures, the Courier faces a yearly
deficit of some 5.5 million dollars. "This deficit," Matsuura argued,
"can no longer be ignored."