Antiquities Destruction and Illicit Sales as Sources of ISIS Funding and Propaganda

Antiquities Destruction and Illicit Sales as Sources of ISIS Funding and Propaganda
Author: Andrew Terrill
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 60
Release: 2019-05-09
Genre:
ISBN: 9781097538904

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has embarked on a campaign to destroy or sell priceless world heritage relics throughout the area under its control. While images of the outrageous destruction of priceless artifacts have been seen throughout the world, the strategic and military implications of comprehensive antiquities looting and ISIS propaganda about antiquities are of vital importance and correspondingly are considered throughout this Letort Paper. In particular, ISIS funding from the illicit sales of antiquities (and high quality fakes) is a serious problem and may help ISIS remain functional even after other sources of revenue are increasingly disrupted or eliminated. Should ISIS experience additional defeats and further loss of territory in Iraq and Syria, an ongoing stream of revenue could fund a nucleus of the organization while it searches for opportunities to rebuild itself and prove its continued relevance through spectacular acts of terrorism. Antiquities, if hidden and trafficked later, along with reproductions marketed as original masterpieces, could give the organization the financial lifeline it needs to stay operational and relevant, even if it is forced to transform itself from a "caliphate" controlling territory to a more simplified type of terrorist organization operating out of portions of the areas it once ruled.

Antiquities Destruction and Illicit Sales As Sources of Isis Funding and Propaga

Antiquities Destruction and Illicit Sales As Sources of Isis Funding and Propaga
Author: Andrew Terrill
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2017-04-04
Genre:
ISBN: 9781545149300

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has embarked on a campaign to destroy or sell priceless world heritage relics throughout the area under its control. While images of the outrageous destruction of priceless artifacts have been seen throughout the world, the strategic and military implications of comprehensive antiquities looting and ISIS propaganda about antiquities are of vital importance and correspondingly are considered throughout this Letort Paper. In particular, ISIS funding from the illicit sales of antiquities (and high quality fakes) is a serious problem and may help ISIS remain functional even after other sources of revenue are increasingly disrupted or eliminated. Should ISIS experience additional defeats and further loss of territory in Iraq and Syria, an ongoing stream of revenue could fund a nucleus of the organization while it searches for opportunities to rebuild itself and prove its continued relevance through spectacular acts of terrorism. Antiquities, if hidden and trafficked later, along with reproductions marketed as original masterpieces, could give the organization the financial lifeline it needs to stay operational and relevant, even if it is forced to transform itself from a "caliphate" controlling territory to a more simplified type of terrorist organization operating out of portions of the areas it once ruled.

Antiquities Destruction and Illicit Sales As Sources of ISIS Funding and Propaganda

Antiquities Destruction and Illicit Sales As Sources of ISIS Funding and Propaganda
Author: W. Andrew Terrill
Publisher:
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2018-02-09
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 9781387583133

"The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has embarked on a campaign to destroy or sell priceless world heritage relics throughout the area under its control. While images of the outrageous destruction of priceless artifacts have been seen throughout the world, the strategic and military implications of comprehensive antiquities looting and ISIS propaganda about antiquities are of vital importance and correspondingly are considered throughout this Letort Paper. In particular, ISIS funding from the illicit sales of antiquities (and high quality fakes) is a serious problem and may help ISIS remain functional even after other sources of revenue are increasingly disrupted or eliminated. Should ISIS experience additional defeats and further loss of territory in Iraq and Syria, an ongoing stream of revenue could fund a nucleus of the organization while it searches for opportunities to rebuild itself and prove its continued relevance through spectacular acts of terrorism. Antiquities, if hidden and trafficked later, along with reproductions marketed as original masterpieces, could give the organization the financial lifeline it needs to stay operational and relevant, even if it is forced to transform itself from a 'caliphate' controlling territory to a more simplified type of terrorist organization operating out of portions of the areas it once ruled"--Publisher's web site.

Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Properties in Arab States

Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Properties in Arab States
Author: Anas Al Khabour
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2022-12-22
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 1803273399

Offering an overview of the phenomenon of illicit trafficking of cultural properties, this book serves as a reference point for governments, enforcement agencies, international organizations, stakeholders, and civil societies. The geographic focus is the Arab World: the countries in the Middle East, Gulf of Arabia, Horn of Africa and North Africa.

Collecting and Provenance

Collecting and Provenance
Author: Andrea M. Gáldy
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2021-06-21
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1527571335

This collection of essays highlights the enduring significance of provenance and its implications for historians and art historians, as well as students and researchers engaged in museum studies. It also offers an opportunity to demonstrate its relevance to other fields of expertise, such as conservation, visual culture studies, aesthetics, authentication and connoisseurship versus technology as a means of establishing attributions and detecting forgeries. Provenance is still of vital importance to jurisdiction, whether it concerns property law or ownership. It also remains topical because of the ongoing debates over looted art in the 1930s and 1940s and the illicit trade in antiquities conducted from Iraq and Syria by terrorist groups.

Blood Money

Blood Money
Author: Margaret Sankey
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Total Pages: 440
Release: 2022-10-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1682477517

It is convenient to think that bad guys are drumming up money for their activities far away and in shady back alleys, but the violent non-state actors (VNSAs) of the world are hiding in plain sight. They peddle knockoff sneakers, pass the hat at ethnic festivals, take a cut of untaxed booze sales, swindle senior citizens with bogus phone calls about needing bail in Mexico, and run money through mainstream banks to buy up rental properties (just to name a few). On a grand scale, their behavior erodes rule of law, creates moral injuries from corruption, and emboldens bad actors to steal and back violent tactics with impunity. Blood Money analyzes the ways in which VNSAs find money for their operations and sustainment, from controlling a valuable commodity to harnessing the grievances of a networked diaspora, and it looks at the channels through which they can flip the positives of globalization into flat, fast, and frictionless movement of people, funds, and materials needed to terrorize and coerce their opponents. Author Margaret Sankey highlights the mundane and everyday nature of these tactics, occurring under our noses online, in legitimate marketplaces, and with the aegis of intelligence services and national governments. While reforms attempt to curtail these options, their utility and efficacy as tools of finance have proved inadequate for sovereign states. VNSAs' defiance of rules and their capable adaptation and innovation make them extremely difficult to pin down or prosecute. Many security publications stress legislation and enforcement or frame illicit finance as a military or police problem. With Blood Money, Sankey points out the many ways VNSAs evade law enforcement, and she offers options for involving consumers and activists in exercising agency and choices in how they apply their money and where it goes. Blood Money also provides context for whole-of-government approaches to attacking underlying supports for illicit financing channels. How these groups finance themselves is key to understanding how they function and what actions might be taken to derail their plans or dismantle their structure.

The Safety and Security of Cultural Heritage in Zones of War Or Instability

The Safety and Security of Cultural Heritage in Zones of War Or Instability
Author: B. Romiti
Publisher: IOS Press
Total Pages: 122
Release: 2021-11-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 164368213X

A nation's cultural heritage represents its past, its present and its path to the future, but for many years, the cultural heritage in or adjacent to war and conflict zones has been subject to continual assault, both deliberate and unintended. This book presents papers delivered at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop entitled “Cultural heritage’s safety and security in zones of war or instability”, hosted online by the University of Rome from 25 to 27 November 2020. NATO has always been a leading player in the protection of cultural property (CPP) in the areas in which it intervenes, indeed, the protection of cultural property and common heritage is part of NATO’s core values. In addition to this, the illicit trade in antiquities and archaeological finds represents another danger to cultural heritage and can help to finance the terrorist groups that manage to seize these assets. The workshop aimed to explore ways to protect and safeguard cultural heritage in war zones or from terrorist attacks, and a group of international experts were invited to contribute presentations on selected topics of direct relevance to the processes in NATO with regard to CPP. Topics included: the experiences of international institutions; conservation and restoration; and countermeasures, technologies and examples of successful interventions. The book raises awareness of the importance of safeguarding cultural heritage and sets out ways of tackling the problem. It will be of interest to all those working in the field of protecting cultural heritage in unstable areas.

Global Perspectives on Cultural Property Crime

Global Perspectives on Cultural Property Crime
Author: Michelle D. Fabiani
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2022-08-11
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1000609375

This book provides transnational insight into cultural property crimes and the cutting-edge work tackling issues ranging from currency crimes to innovative research methods. The volume brings together authors from a number of fields to address contemporary issues and advances in the fight against cultural property crime. It combines the perspectives of law enforcement officials, researchers, journalists, lawyers, and scholars, with specialities in the disciplines of criminology, law, archaeology, museum studies, political science, and economics, from countries all around the globe. This allows for a more comprehensive examination of issues facing these professionals and highlights similarities between the challenges encountered in different disciplines as well as in diverse locations. It seeks to disseminate the most current work in this field from a broad array of viewpoints in order to further facilitate an exchange of ideas and lay the groundwork to inspire future collaborations. Most significantly, it provides more specific suggestions for moving forward that could help assist stakeholders to connect and work directly with each other, despite international borders and discipline-related boundaries. The book will be a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working in the area of cultural property crime.

Chasing Aphrodite

Chasing Aphrodite
Author: Jason Felch
Publisher: HMH
Total Pages: 397
Release: 2011-05-24
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0547538022

A “thrilling, well-researched” account of years of scandal at the prestigious Getty Museum (Ulrich Boser, author of The Gardner Heist). In recent years, several of America’s leading art museums have voluntarily given up their finest pieces of classical art to the governments of Italy and Greece. Why would they be moved to such unheard-of generosity? The answer lies at the Getty, one of the world’s richest and most troubled museums, and scandalous revelations that it had been buying looted antiquities for decades. Drawing on a trove of confidential museum records and candid interviews, these two journalists give us a fly-on-the-wall account of the inner workings of a world-class museum, and tell a story of outlandish characters and bad behavior that could come straight from the pages of a thriller. “In an authoritative account, two reporters who led a Los Angeles Times investigation reveal the details of the Getty Museum’s illicit purchases, from smugglers and fences, of looted Greek and Roman antiquities. . . . The authors offer an excellent recap of the museum’s misdeeds, brimming with tasty details of the scandal that motivated several of America’s leading art museums to voluntarily return to Italy and Greece some 100 classical antiquities worth more than half a billion dollars.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “An astonishing and penetrating look into a veiled world where beauty and art are in constant competition with greed and hypocrisy. This engaging book will cast a fresh light on many of those gleaming objects you see in art museums.” —Jonathan Harr, author of The Lost Painting