Our International Security Depends on Cultural Heritage
On Saturday, President Trump warned the Iranian government against any form of retaliation and threatened 52 Iranian sites — “some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture.”
The President’s rhetoric is disturbing for its inhumanity. A cradle of civilization, Iran has a history dating back thousands of years and is home to 24 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Naqsh e-Rostam, the necropolis of the kings of the Achaemenid and Sassanid dynasties, shows in famous relief the submission of the Roman emperor Valerian to King Shapur I. Cyrus the Great founded the ancient Persian capital of Persepolis, a spectacular example of Achaemenid architecture and the most-visited site in the country. These places are important not only to Iranians but to all humankind.
The President’s threat parallels the worst excesses of extremist militancy in the Middle East. During fighting against the Islamic State (IS) in 2016, there was little to stop the militant group from taking sledgehammers, explosives, and bulldozers to the ancient ruins of Nimrud in northern Iraq. Countless irreplaceable artifacts were destroyed, and when IS was driven from the city, local residents lamented the destruction of their heritage.
International observers and politicians around the world joined their voices in condemnation of these barbaric acts. This should not be surprising. Multiple international agreements, including the 1907 Hague Convention, the 1949 Geneva Convention Protocol, the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and the 1972 World Heritage Convention prohibit the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage during armed conflict.
Whether individuals or powerful government officials, people everywhere find the targeting of our world’s cultural heritage a repulsive act. There is a shared understanding that cultural heritage is about more than history. The flourishing of human culture, it is a foundation for understanding who we are and who we can become. Deliberately destroying cultural heritage severs the connection people have with their past and their future; serving as prelude to destroying a people themselves.
Iran’s cultural heritage is not the only thing at risk in the wake of this inflammatory rhetoric. It also threatens the international consensus the United States has worked hardest to develop.
In 2017, the United Nations Security Council, of which the United States is a permanent member, adopted resolution 2347 for the protection of cultural heritage in times of war. Speaking before the UNSC, then Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova stated that “the deliberate destruction of heritage is a war crime. This is why defending cultural heritage is more than a cultural issue, it is a security imperative, inseparable from that of defending human lives.”
Cultural heritage is crucial for sustainable development and economic growth. It is the bedrock of our self-understanding, fostering peace and international dialogue through mutual respect. As such, cultural heritage is a recognized component of international security.
Deliberately targeting cultural heritage sites flouts international law, threatens global security, and deters future peace. If the President can target cultural heritage sites with impunity, what does that mean for enforcing the law against the militants and rogue states of the world? With this statement, President Trump upends so much the United States has worked for. He has made the world less safe.
Global Heritage Fund empowers communities through historic preservation beyond monuments®. Since 2002, GHF has helped local communities to save 28 sites in 19 countries with over 100 partner organizations. Using its Preservation by Design® methodology of community-based planning, conservation science, and strategic partnerships, GHF has invested over $30 million and secured $25 million in co-funding to ensure sustainable preservation and responsible development. Learn more at globalheritagefund.org.
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