Preservation Not Repatriation Should Be the Goal

The Committee on Cultural Policy: "Preservation Not Repatriation Should Be the Goal"

"We can and should do better than authorizing a “witch hunt” for any cultural artifacts that “look Syrian” so they can be presented to Assad and face possible destruction in a civil war. Cultural preservation, not repatriation, should be the prime objective. The rights of individuals and religious and ethnic minorities should be respected. Due process rights should be protected assiduously. Anyone proud of our own hard won freedoms should be particularly concerned about efforts to reverse the burden of proof for legal imports of cultural goods under the guise of protecting archaeological objects from looting. The understandable urge to “do something” in response to the regrettable destruction of cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq is no reason to do the wrong thing."