Trump's threat to bomb cultural sites in Iran reminds of Major Corine Wegener, the US Army reservist assigned to assist after the looting of the Iraq Nat'l Museum in 2003. It was the most intense U.S. military effort to conserve culture since World War II: rakemag.com/2004/07/art-wa…
In fact, the US Army's Civil Affairs division has had a slot for "Arts, Monuments, and Archives Managers" since WWII, when the so-called "monuments men" played a crucial role in saving the cultural heritage of Europe, incl "The Last Supper." See here: medium.com/history-and-po…
During WWII, the US did it because enlightened folks recognized that culture is the common property of humanity, but also out of a strategic recognition that if you want a lasting peace with a people, you don't destroy their identity.
To ensure that culture wouldn't be targeted in the event of future conflicts, the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was adopted in 1954. portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_…
The US, which had long been a leader on the issue, was not an original signatory. But thanks, in no small part, to the work and lobbying of Major Wegener (now retired and employed at the Smithsonian), the US ratified it in 2009. portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_…
Point being, the US military has long played a key, global-leading role in protecting cultural property during wartime. An order telling it do differently is not only a violation of international law, but a slap at Army personnel dating back to WWII. Shameful and stupid. Fin.
