CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VI (1) Contemporary-Eurasia-VI-1-engl | Page 79

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VI (1)
As Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, wrote in a 2012
article on the importance of preserving embattled states’ cultural
heritage, “This [the destruction in Syria] is a loss to all humanity.
Some cultural sites have an outstanding universal value-they belong to
all and must be protected by all. Let’s be clear. We are not just talking
about stones and building. This is about values, identities and
belonging” 33 .
In addition to the ethical foundations for protecting cultural
property, there are several very practical arguments for the benefits of
doing so.
1. The loss of cultural property is not only a loss to the heritage of
mankind, but also to the better understanding of that heritage. As
Rodrigo Martin, a heritage expert monitoring the damage to Syria’s
sites, expressed it, “[t]he destruction of things that have not been
studied is like burning pages in the book of history” 34 . Archaeologists
can recover stolen artifacts, but as Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, leader
of the U.S. investigation into the 2003 looting of the Iraq Museum,
explains, without the context of the item, little can be learned about
the civilizations that came before us. This limits our educational
resources and collective knowledge of the past 35 .
2. The destruction or looting of sites and objects of cultural
significance, especially when intentional, can create lasting
resentments and obstacles to peace. As Bokova writes, “[d]estroying
culture hurts societies for the long term….Warlords know this. They
target culture because it strikes to the heart and because it has
powerful media value in an increasingly connected world. We saw
this in the wars in the former Yugoslavia, where libraries were often
burned first” 36 . When the deliberate destruction of cultural property is
linked with genocide or ethnic cleansing, such as the intentional
33
Ibid.
Otterson M. J., The Fate of Cultural Property in Wartime: Why it Matters and
What Should Be Done, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, 17 th
September, 2013.
35
Chmelenko Y., The Plundering of Iraq’s National Museum: What Really
Happened?, Oriental Review, 18 th July, 2010.
36
Khoday A., War Crimes and Cultural Property – Recent Events at the
International Criminal Court, Robson Crim Legal Blog, 25 th August, 2016.
34
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