Introduction (Done, 149):
Iraq is arguably one of the most diverse countries culturally around the world. Iraq's population comprise of a majority of Arabs and Kurds. The remaining people are divided into several other ethnic groups such as Jews and Turkoman (Paulmbo, 2005). This cultural and ethnic diversity has led to an interesting variety of historical and cultural monuments. In recent years, Iraq’s cultural and historical heritage faced a quantifiable level of destruction and damage caused by armed conflicts in the country. The most important and profound armed conflicts in modern day Iraq are the 2003 American war and the present day threat of ISIS. This essay will consider different types of actions that have caused damage to Iraq's heritage by both events, evaluating the impact each has had on Iraq’s culture. The essay will also consider possible …show more content…
The Hague Convention is an outdated law that is not enough anymore! Surely the world has changed since 1954 and therefore the law must change and evolve with it. Therefore I propose a multistep solution to help preserve historical sites in the futures. Firstly, damaging and looting of cultural properties should be considered a war crime and any person involved in the damaging, looting or illegal selling of artifacts should be prosecuted under international law. Secondly, local communities should be taught the value of the sites of artifacts present in their communities. Because as local citizens have shown, a strong local defense of these sites can sometimes be the best option during armed conflicts (HE, 2015). Finally, during any armed conflicts the involved nations must consider the sites needed to be protected from military action and if it is truly necessary to assault such site then it should be done with extreme caution and
Iraq is arguably one of the most diverse countries culturally around the world. Iraq's population comprise of a majority of Arabs and Kurds. The remaining people are divided into several other ethnic groups such as Jews and Turkoman (Paulmbo, 2005). This cultural and ethnic diversity has led to an interesting variety of historical and cultural monuments. In recent years, Iraq’s cultural and historical heritage faced a quantifiable level of destruction and damage caused by armed conflicts in the country. The most important and profound armed conflicts in modern day Iraq are the 2003 American war and the present day threat of ISIS. This essay will consider different types of actions that have caused damage to Iraq's heritage by both events, evaluating the impact each has had on Iraq’s culture. The essay will also consider possible …show more content…
The Hague Convention is an outdated law that is not enough anymore! Surely the world has changed since 1954 and therefore the law must change and evolve with it. Therefore I propose a multistep solution to help preserve historical sites in the futures. Firstly, damaging and looting of cultural properties should be considered a war crime and any person involved in the damaging, looting or illegal selling of artifacts should be prosecuted under international law. Secondly, local communities should be taught the value of the sites of artifacts present in their communities. Because as local citizens have shown, a strong local defense of these sites can sometimes be the best option during armed conflicts (HE, 2015). Finally, during any armed conflicts the involved nations must consider the sites needed to be protected from military action and if it is truly necessary to assault such site then it should be done with extreme caution and