The New Monuments Men: New War, New Treasures to Save (English Edition) [Kindle-editie] beoordelingen het boek quotes

In mid-April of this year, it was widely reported that over 170,000 ancient artifacts had been stolen or looted from the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad. After fierce fighting, U.S. forces finally secured the area surrounding the museum, and on 16 April, a tank platoon was positioned on the museum grounds to prevent any further damage. The U.S. government then dispatched a 13-member team from U.S. Central Command, consisting of selected military personnel from the Joint Inter-Agency Coordination Group and agents from the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to investigate the theft and to begin the recovery of the missing artifacts. On 16 May, this team issued a preliminary report on the extent of the losses and the status of the investigation. Issued less than one month into the investigation, it necessarily raised as many questions as it posed answers. The goal of this report is to attempt to answer as many of those questions as possible. From the outset, the primary goal has been the return of these antiquities to the Iraqi people, not criminal prosecution. The methodology was tailored accordingly and comprised four components. First, identify what was missing from the museum. Second, disseminate photographs and descriptions to the international law-enforcement and art communities to aid interdiction and confiscation. Third, initiate community outreach with religious and community leaders and enlist the media’s aid promoting an amnesty program for anyone returning antiquities. And fourth, develop leads on stolen property and conduct raids on that information. Each of these four components has had its own challenges and successes.