Whose Heritage, What For?

Antiquities Coalition @CombatLooting · 11 min
We welcome @DeptofDefense 's statement reaffirming the longstanding U.S. commitment to safeguarding #culturalheritage from war and terrorism—not just for preservation, but as a tool to share American values, build diplomatic ties, and fight violent extremism.

So, Americans protect the cultural heritage of Waziristan (for example) not for Waziri citizens, but to use to promote their own values? Eh?

I understand the need we all feel to stop the guy in the White House from smashing it, and his gangsterish rants the other day about doing so were a betrayal of those very values that my generation was coaxed into believing were not only "American values", but the Values-All-Of-Us-Should-Aspire-To, but the reasons why we agree to not go around smashing and stealing other people's cultural heritage go deeper than their potential propaganda use.