Security of Cultural Property: U.S. Engagement and Potential for Improvement
Recent armed conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan and political violence in Egypt have revealed the strategic significance of cultural property. This paper assesses the role of historic sites and antiquities in foreign engagement. Over the past century, U.S. foreign policy has had successes and shortcomings in leveraging protection of cultural patrimony to strategic advantage. The contrast of successful policy on the protection of immovable cultural property, such as religious monuments, in armed conflict and missed opportunities for tactical intelligence on the trade in movable cultural property, such as antiquities trafficking, identifies potential for development of foreign policy.
Stealing History: Tomb Raiders, Smugglers, and the Looting of the Ancient World
Roger Atwood knows more about the market for ancient objects than almost anyone. He knows where priceless antiquities are buried, who is digging them up, and who is fencing and buying them. In this fascinating book, Atwood takes readers on a journey through Iraq, Peru, Hong Kong, and across America, showing how the worldwide antiquities trade is destroying what's left of ancient sites before archaeologists can reach them. Part detective story and part meditation on the power of art and culture, "Stealing History" is an essential account of how the past is being dug out from under us.
From the Prevention Measures to the Fact‐finding Mission
civilization should be unthinkable, but ancient Mesopotamia has been the scene of two major conflicts in 13 years, and in both there was significant damage to cultural heritage of primary importance. With its millennia of Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Islamic civilizations, Iraq ranks at the forefront of cultural tradition, affecting both Western and Eastern civilizations. Until the past year, however, most people probably did not realize that Iraq is Mesopotamia.