That's an excellent bit of work you've got there, pard.
I had to smile when I saw "unprecedented" up there so often; I guess none of the Iraqis or journos ever heard of Hermann Goerring's (and other Nazis') private collection from occupied Europe, right? Then there were the Napoleonic french ... and the Persians...
They raped continents. Even moved buildings they liked.
Great work, sir.
TmjUtah,
Hey, thanks. I love the day-to-day ups and downs of the media-cycle as much as anyone else, but I also like to stand back now and then and take a longer view. The Iraq National Museum story is, to my mind, one of those stories that is best viewed from a distance.
Your suggestion of a double-standard out there is well noted.
Thanks again. You just put a smile on my face.
*
You set a great example for all bloggers. Fantastic work!
This is more nonsense from a tendentious moron.
There are several articles that attempt to ameliorate the US militaries culpability in the looting of the National Museum in Baghdad. They always focus on the numbers (i.e., 170,000 vs 15,000 now known to be lost). The change in that number does NOT in any manner lessen the guilt of the military for WATCHING as the museum was looted, despite many warnings prior to the occupation. Since then they’ve seriously damaged ancient Babylon, and created a lawlessness that has allowed for the destruction of MANY other ancient sites. Indeed, still many object from the museum are lost—each one priceless and of immeasurable value to knowledge. But the soldiers were to busy making a photo-op for Fox News by bringing down the statue at Fardus Square. Had they spent less time on photo-ops and more time sincerely trying to help the Iraqis, it would not have happened
The academics, however, probably come off with the largest stain on their reputations.
Yep, they sure DO.
I think that Jeffrey's article is a example of moral failure and the strewing of red herrings as Dr. Strasser is correct: attempts to minimize the scale of the losses and the dereliction of duty on the part of the U.S. (which as an occupying power had a legal duty to protect the cultural heritage of Iraq, an heritage that is part of the heritage of all mankind), are as spurious as they are misguided.
The central issue is not of mere numbers or media errors, it is the devastating loss that American ineptitude permitted to occur.
Thousands of artifacts still missing
Two years since the looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, more than 13,000 pieces, among them priceless objects, are still missing.
In what many today view as an organized assault by international mafia on the museum – one of the world’s most important – entire collections, particularly of small but valuable items disappeared.
Officials at the Iraq Museum say while the remaining objects inside the museum are now safe, archaeological sites across the country are at the mercy of smugglers and illegal diggers.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said they feared the country’s archaeological riches were still target of organized crime in which neighboring countries were playing a big role.
The museum’s records show that so far only 3,300 items have been retrieved with 1,250 coming from Jordan, 600 from America, 300 from Britain, 360 from Syria, 38 from Kuwait and 18 from Saudi Arabia.
The department will hold what it describes as “a hearing seminar” in which specialists will openly discuss the looting of the museum in March 2003....
Better to follow the words of those who know what they are talking about than Jeffrey's apologia for U.S. failures.
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