Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations: Figures and Tables
- Archaeology and the Military: An Introduction
- 1 The Obligations Contained in International Treaties of Armed Forces to Protect Cultural Heritage in Times of Armed Conflict
- 2 Rescuing Europe’s Cultural Heritage: The Role of the Allied Monuments Officers in World War II
- 3 The UK’s Training and Awareness Programme
- 4 US Army Civil Affairs: Protecting Cultural Property, Past and Future
- 5 Cultural Property Protection in the Event of Armed Conflict: Deploying Military Experts or Can White Men Sing the Blues?
- 6 Good Training and Good Practice: Protection of the Cultural Heritage on the UK Defence Training Estate
- 7 In-Theatre Soldier Training through Cultural Heritage Playing Cards: A US Department of Defense Example
- 8 Dealing the Heritage Hand: Establishing a United States Department of Defense Cultural Property Protection Program for Global Operations
- 9 Teaching Cultural Property Protection in the Middle East: The Central Command Historical/Cultural Advisory Group and International Efforts
- 10 Cultural Resources Data for Heritage Protection in Contingency Operations
- 11 Time not on my Side: Cultural Resource Management in Kirkuk, Iraq
- 12 US Military Support of Cultural Heritage Awareness and Preservation in Post-Conflict Iraq
- 13 Operation Heritage
- 14 Cultural Property Protection in the Event of Armed Conflict – Austrian Experiences
- 15 The Role of the Swiss Armed Forces in the Protection of Cultural Property
- 16 Preserving Global Heritage from Space in Times of War
- Appendix 1 1954 Hague Convention and its two Protocols
- Appendix 2 Author Biographies
- Index
12 - US Military Support of Cultural Heritage Awareness and Preservation in Post-Conflict Iraq
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2023
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations: Figures and Tables
- Archaeology and the Military: An Introduction
- 1 The Obligations Contained in International Treaties of Armed Forces to Protect Cultural Heritage in Times of Armed Conflict
- 2 Rescuing Europe’s Cultural Heritage: The Role of the Allied Monuments Officers in World War II
- 3 The UK’s Training and Awareness Programme
- 4 US Army Civil Affairs: Protecting Cultural Property, Past and Future
- 5 Cultural Property Protection in the Event of Armed Conflict: Deploying Military Experts or Can White Men Sing the Blues?
- 6 Good Training and Good Practice: Protection of the Cultural Heritage on the UK Defence Training Estate
- 7 In-Theatre Soldier Training through Cultural Heritage Playing Cards: A US Department of Defense Example
- 8 Dealing the Heritage Hand: Establishing a United States Department of Defense Cultural Property Protection Program for Global Operations
- 9 Teaching Cultural Property Protection in the Middle East: The Central Command Historical/Cultural Advisory Group and International Efforts
- 10 Cultural Resources Data for Heritage Protection in Contingency Operations
- 11 Time not on my Side: Cultural Resource Management in Kirkuk, Iraq
- 12 US Military Support of Cultural Heritage Awareness and Preservation in Post-Conflict Iraq
- 13 Operation Heritage
- 14 Cultural Property Protection in the Event of Armed Conflict – Austrian Experiences
- 15 The Role of the Swiss Armed Forces in the Protection of Cultural Property
- 16 Preserving Global Heritage from Space in Times of War
- Appendix 1 1954 Hague Convention and its two Protocols
- Appendix 2 Author Biographies
- Index
Summary
INTRODUCTION
When people picture the United States armed forces in Iraq, the image most likely to come to mind is one of armed conflict. However, there is another side not so widely known – the role the military has in cultural heritage awareness. One may stop to ponder this statement, reaching back in particular to April 2003, when the US military did not stop the looting of the Iraq National Museum. Bogdanos (2008) provides an excellent account of why a tank company was unable to leave their post and confront the looters. It was not a matter of not wanting to do anything, but rather one of the soldiers taking enemy fire and not having enough backup to enter the Museum (Bogdanos 2008). One might ponder further why the Department of Defense (DoD) did not seem to act sooner on a statement put out in January 2003 by the Archaeological Institute of America warning that military conflicts put cultural heritage at risk (AIA 2003); or why a military base was built on the ruins of ancient Babylon, resulting in the US colonel in charge having to offer an apology for damages caused to the site (Cornwell 2006).
Much has changed in the last five years, and while this chapter does not ask for the exoneration of the military's past mistakes in not doing more to protect Iraq's cultural heritage sites, it does highlight the efforts now being made to support programmes aimed at preserving and protecting vulnerable sites. America's armed forces, working with the Cultural Affairs Office at US Embassy Baghdad, have been proactively engaging in cultural heritage issues ranging from site preservation to site protection and overall awareness. Military units serving in-theatre have taken the initiative in understanding the historical value of Ancient Mesopotamia and in supporting efforts to save archaeological and historical sites throughout Iraq.
The removal of modern buildings from the ancient city of Kish and supporting site surveys conducted by the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage and the US Department of State subject matter experts are two examples of US military involvement. America's armed forces are also fully engaging in multi-agency working groups aimed at supporting and promoting cultural heritage awareness initiatives throughout Iraq.
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- Archaeology, Cultural Property, and the Military , pp. 126 - 137Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2010
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