| The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict is an extraordinary document in its attempt to promote cultural heritage protection. The Convention, however, was created in the aftermath of WWII and the face of warfare has greatly changed since its inception. Through a case study of the 2003 Iraq War weaknesses of not just the Convention come to light, but also the shortcomings of cultural heritage professionals during armed conflict. With the intention of taking lessons learned from the Iraq War, an examination is then made of the 2011 Syrian Civil War, with the specific aim of developing methods to strengthen both the 1954 Hague Convention and the response of cultural heritage experts in the protection of cultural property during modern armed conflict situations. |
