The Looting of Iraq's Museum in 2003 Literary Analysis

Total Length: 634 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

Page 1 of 2

Literature AnalysisThe essential argument of Chapter 1, “Preserving Iraq’s Heritage from Looting,” is that policy flaws led to the looting of Iraq’s heritage—the loss of many cultural sites, museums, and archeological sites. Iraq had a professional antiquities ministry, but the first Persian Gulf War in 1991 undermined this institution through the creation of no-fly zones. After 9/11, culture was not a thought on the minds of policy-makers. The Future of Iraq Project kept such a low profile in Washington because its members sought “to avoid unwanted attention from congressional backers of the Iraqi National Congress” (p. 7). The outcome of this low-profile is that the US never adopted a cultural policy for Iraq: “responsibility for various aspects of culture is divvied up among a number of uncoordinated offices and institutions with limited mandates, all of which failed to take the initiative in reaching out to war planners, even within the same agency” (pp. 7-8). With the State Department, the military, and the Pentagon tasked with protecting cultural sites, none came through.

Stuck Writing Your "The Looting of Iraq's Museum in 2003" Literary Analysis?

The essential argument of Chapter 3, “Thieves of Baghdad,” is that the planners of the War (the invasion of Iraq in 2003) did not anticipate that average Iraqis equated the Museum with Saddam’s gift shop, and that even though the Museum was placed on a no-strike list, the average Iraqi saw the War as an opportunity to steal from Saddam by looting the Museum. Everyone was concerned about bombing; no one thought about looting (pp. 33-34). Moreover, the Iraqi Army turned the museum into a fortress, against the law of armed conflict (p. 34). The Museum provided a strategic location for Saddam’s forces, due to its view of the field. Thus, it became a part of the war, regardless of what the Planners intended. American forces came under attack from the Museum. US forces fired back; however, to prevent destruction to the cultural site, these same US….....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"The Looting Of Iraq's Museum In 2003" (2021, July 13) Retrieved June 5, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/looting-iraq-museum-2003-2176432

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"The Looting Of Iraq's Museum In 2003" 13 July 2021. Web.5 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/looting-iraq-museum-2003-2176432>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"The Looting Of Iraq's Museum In 2003", 13 July 2021, Accessed.5 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/looting-iraq-museum-2003-2176432