THIS MUST BE MORE OF THAT “SMART DIPLOMACY” WE WERE PROMISED: Claudia Rosett On the UNESCO Fiasco. “For the U.S., the UNESCO vote was a debacle, with the assembled states voting 107 to 14 in favor of admitting the Palestinians, and 52 states abstaining. That would have been the moment for the U.S. ambassador to read UNESCO’s assembly the riot act and announce that the U.S. was pulling out, as it did in 1984, under President Ronald Reagan; returning only in 2003, under President George W. Bush. Instead, the U.S. diplomatic message to UNESCO has been one of apology.”