IRAQ-US: ‘Biggest Cultural Disaster Since 1258’, Says Expert

Anonymous Patron writes “The Inter Press Service News Agency Says:
One million books, 10 million documents and 14,000 archaeological artifacts have been lost in the U.S.-led invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq — the biggest cultural disaster since the descendants of Genghis Khan destroyed Baghdad in 1258, Venezuelan writer Fernando BÃ¡ez told IPS.
“U.S. and Polish soldiers are still stealing treasures today and selling them across the borders with Jordan and Kuwait, where art merchants pay up to 57,000 dollars for a Sumerian tablet,” said BÃ¡ez, who was interviewed during a brief visit to Caracas.”

February 16, 2005 by rochelle Uncategorized 8

DeathByAnts says:

February 16, 2005 at 10:33 pm

ok, and…
A certain amount of destruction is expected. The author seems to be blaming the Iraqi’s for the looting, and the US forces for negligence. Sorry, but I suspect that avoiding getting shot is a higher priority than protecting books.

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False Prophecy says:

February 16, 2005 at 10:43 pm

Re:Another blunder
The protection of cultural artifacts is the responsibility of the occupying power under international treaty (but we’ve seen what the Bush administration thinks of such things), and the administration was warned of the likelihood of looting and theft by several historians and archaeologists.

If avoiding getting shot was a higher priority than protecting books, you’d think the planners would have thought about armour for vehicles and personnel, wouldn’t you?

This administration can’t be trusted to plan a picnic, let alone a military occupation.

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michaelkpate says:

February 16, 2005 at 10:52 pm

Lies, Lies, Lies, Yeah!
It is always funny to me that all of these people never show concern for the 8 million people that Saddam murdered. And are always a little light on evidence for the changes they make.

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DeathByAnts says:

February 16, 2005 at 11:21 pm

Re:Another blunder
You can’t protect everything. Looting will occur, no matter what happens. I challenge you to name *any* war where looting did not occur.

What do you mean, “if avoiding getting shot was a higher priority”? Of COURSE it was a higher priority.

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kylere says:

February 17, 2005 at 12:11 am

To correct some statements of ignorance
The armoring of Humvees was never part of standard policy, very few were ever planned to be armored, and the US Army possessed Humvees for 4 presidential terms including GWB’s. I drove one during Desert Shield and Storm both, and it had no armor, nothing was done during the Clinton presidency to change this. The entire issue was driven as part of the political campaign. The US Army has armored personnel carriers, and tanks, the Humvees are not primary combat platforms.

The writer of this piece is representative of a nation that is currently engaging in an arms race via purchases of weapons from around the world and with the intent of redrawing it’s border with Columbia via force. It has a government that is becoming decidedly anti-US as it slips further and further towards becoming a dictatorship. The “reporter” is paid by his government in addition to his paper.

There is no way to prevent things like this from occuring during periods of unrest, it occured all during the reign of Saddam Hussein as even the “prices” of his nation used historic monuments for target practice. Archaeologists were not exactly running around Iraq freely engaging in scientific discovery prior to the current situation and the nation bled artifacts like a sieve.

I am sure that there are US Soldiers who are doign things that are wrong, I also feel they should be shot as looters, but the same people that whine about the one in a million soldiers doing something wrong, are the ones that will not allow punishment fitting the crime.

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Redcardlibrarian says:

February 17, 2005 at 10:36 am

Cultural disasters
I was always of the opinion that airing re-runs of the Brady Bunch on Nick was one of the single greatest cultural disasters ever.

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GregS* says:

February 17, 2005 at 7:44 pm

Re:Cultural disasters
On this we agree.

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exlibriscat says:

February 17, 2005 at 11:04 pm

Re:Lies, Lies, Lies, Yeah!
Thanks–now I’ll have the Thompson Twins in my head all day… my own personal cultural disaster. 🙂

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