WCJ"Are cultural treasures less valuable than oil?"

THE WORLD CULTURE JOURNAL

"Are cultural treasures less valuable than oil?" - 2003.04.17 by WB

Reports about the lost cultural treasures in Baghdad are showing clearly that "culture" plays only a minor role in a globalized world, which is driven only by the power of the markets. As a sign of protest 2 advisors to Mr.Bush resigned on April 17, 2003, because museums and libraries could have been quickly protected by US troops - similar to the oil fields.
As REUTERS reports, Martin Sullivan, who chaired the President's Advisory Committee on Cultural Property for eight years, and panel member Gary Vikan said the U.S. military had had advance warning of the danger to Iraq's historical treasures.
"We certainly know the value of oil but we certainly don't know the value of historical artifacts," Vikan, director of the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore said.

"It didn't have to happen," Sullivan told Reuters. "In a pre-emptive war that's the kind of thing you should have planned for."
The Iraqi National Museum held rare artifacts documenting the development of mankind in ancient Mesopotamia, one of the world's earliest civilizations. Among the museum collection were more than 80,000 cuneiform tablets, some of which had yet to be translated. Among the priceless treasures missing are the 5,000-year-old Vase of Uruk and the Harp of Ur.

(source: Niala Boodhoo for REUTERS - 2003.04.17)

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