In sports, it’s understood that money matters. Power and wealth run in tandem. In the world of international relations, things are different. Power and wealth are discussed as if they’re disconnected.

There are anomalies like the Oakland Athletics, but history is on the side of the Yankees. “Moneyball” is a classic underdog story about the 2002 A’s. They were tight on money and could not compete with wealthier teams like the New York Yankees. Stripped of talent and unable to afford replacements, things looked dismal. But by turning to statistics, they gained an advantage and went on to win a record number of games.

Their currency was statistics, but the United States is still cashing in on force. Military intervention, not diplomacy, defines our international role.

The notion of soft power – the ability to attain goals through collaboration and attraction, not force – is so underdeveloped that it requires definition. By refusing to recognize its utility, we squander this vital resource unawares and at great peril.

Because of laws linking U.S. funding to the non-recognition of Palestine, the United States is undermining its ability to exert soft power. Now that United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognized Palestine, the United States cannot continue to fund the organization per domestic legislation. If other U.N. agencies follow, similar funding cuts kick in.

And these cuts are not without repercussions for the United States. UNESCO and other U.N. organizations have regulations ensuring that countries failing to pay dues lose their memberships. The United States will be kicked out of UNESCO as a result of our failure to pay. As history proves, we have nothing to gain but much international influence and prestige to lose.

Rarely has the United States relinquished power so willingly and misguidedly.

Our non-membership in international organizations will neither harm the Palestinian cause nor prevent Palestine from becoming a state. The only result will be limiting U.S. international influence and ability to project soft power.

Under President Reagan, the United States also stopped paying its UNESCO dues and withdrew from the body. But we remained a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the World Intellectual Property Rights Organization, two organizations with vast power and influence.

If Palestinians gain entrance into those bodies, the United States will be required by law to withdraw not only its funding but also its membership. Palestinians have yet to apply for membership to these organizations, but they’ve expressed interest in joining the World Trade Organization and the International Criminal Court.

Because of misguided legislation, the United States may lose a key tool in its foreign policy arsenal. The history of other world powers showcases the stupidity of abdicating soft power.

At the start of World War I, Britain’s economy was half the size of the United States’. And it was producing less than 10 percent of the world’s iron, a key metric of industrialization. Yet somehow, it remained the foremost world power.

Britain’s leaders identified the threats facing the empire and reacted. Her leaders learned how to lose an empire gracefully through statesmanship and realistic expectations.

The nation didn’t attempt to dictate world events or stymie the growth of other powers. Instead, it adopted a policy of soft power. The country placed very clear and defensible limits on its influence and latched on to the United States.

As the supercommittee’s inability to move past political posturing shows, the United States lacks the political leadership to emulate Britain. The implications of this failing are frightening. We remain wedded to the notions of force and the dismissal of soft power.

With the U.S. economy in decline and military spending decreasing, President Obama should embrace an era of soft power.

In the moment of decline, as demonstrated by Britain, one should cling to international organizations. They’re a safety net. And they’re a low cost way to maintain considerable influence even if you’re not willing to cede power.

Money mattered for the Oakland Athletics and for Britain. It’s time for U.S. statesmen to realize this.

When you have less to spend, you need to play smart. It’s time to end the laws linking Palestinian statehood to U.N. funding.

Scott Rosenfield is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].