Partnership versus guns: Military advocacy of peaceful approaches for cultural property protection

Abstract

Like it or not, disposition and management of cultural property has been a component of warfare since the beginning of human conflict. It is given that during the course of global military operations, military personnel are going to encounter cultural property including archaeological sites in their areas of operation. The question is whether those personnel will be prepared with maps, background information, a basic awareness of cultural property issues, and an appreciation for the potential significance of those issues. We know what happens when that preparation is missing, and most archaeologists find those consequences to be unacceptable. Damage at Babylon in 2003 would be an example. However, when members of the military are thoroughly prepared and provided with sufficient planning and background information, damage to cultural property and archaeological sites can be completely avoided or minimized. The critical point is that for the archaeological education and information to be available in this capacity, it is necessary for archaeologists to work with the military. As issues of conflict and archaeology from 2003 to 2011 are considered, it is possible to discern a range of responses from the profession represented by archaeologists living and working in both military and academic communities.