Dealing with Terrorism: Empirical and Normative Challenges of Fighting Islamic State, 2019
Islamic State exploits cultural heritage for purposes of funding, propaganda, recruitment , and s... more Islamic State exploits cultural heritage for purposes of funding, propaganda, recruitment , and state-building. Evidence from Islamic State and Al Qaeda affiliates suggests that antiquities are a revenue source, while destruction of cultural monuments frequently appear in propaganda material. This chapter examines the trafficking networks that connect Syria and Iraq, and other areas under Islamic State control such as Libya, to outside markets, how terror organizations profit from antiquities , and the role of attacks on culture in recruitment and propaganda.
Since the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, also known as Daesh and ISIL) in 201... more Since the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, also known as Daesh and ISIL) in 2014, antiquities have been a widely publicized source of funding for what has become one of the most technologically savvy terrorist organizations of the modern era. The globalization of technology and rise of popularity in cryptocurrencies has changed the face of black-market trade and the actors that carry out these crimes. While art and antiquities have long served as a market with susceptibilities to laundering, the emergence of Dark Web markets, identification-masking software, and untraceable cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have opened new doors to potential vulnerabilities. The anonymity that is offered by these technologies acts as a roadblock for authorities, while attracting the likes of terrorists and transnational criminals. Investigative research using cyber security platforms to identify digital artifacts connected to potential traffickers provides the opportunity to unmask the seemingly untraceable actors behind these activities. The evidence of illicit antiquities trafficking on the Dark Web displayed in this article can generate a new discussion on how and where to study black-market antiquities to gain needed insight into combating the illicit trade online and the transnational criminal groups it may finance.
The Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 facilitated social movements that redefined the modern world. T... more The Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 facilitated social movements that redefined the modern world. These uprisings also served as the catalyst for cultural racketeering, or the systematic theft of art and antiquities by organized criminal syndicates. Although the widespread looting and destruction of sites is well known, it is not extensively documented. There are few detailed numbers on cultural racketeering in Egypt, and many of the numbers that do exist fail to critically examine the issue at large. However, the range of updates that stream from news reports and social media on the continuous looting and destruction of heritage in Egypt since the 2011 revolution has provided a new look at a measureable pattern of illicit heritage crimes. Media and social media reports of heritage threats in Egypt were collected over a three year period and dissected to extract the credible information and demographics that each contained. The data was then graphed and analyzed for patterns. The graphic analysis demonstrated that both individuals and groups seeking to steal Egypt's cultural patrimony are not selective or prone to single attacks; they undertake their efforts repeatedly and at a variety of places with clear evidence of recurring patterns and cycles. Studying these reports provides a route for researchers to reconcile the lack of traditional data covering huge areas of land. Examining all of the available information on heritage crimes to determine patterns is a critical element in identifying the stage of progress these crimes have reached so that the appropriate course of action can be taken to thwart criminal efforts before the scale of the geographic reach widens or increases in volume. The post-Arab Spring archaeologists of the twenty-first century must be investigators of the present as well as the past by navigating technology, politics, security, and economy in order to protect heritage.
Dealing with Terrorism: Empirical and Normative Challenges of Fighting Islamic State, 2019
Islamic State exploits cultural heritage for purposes of funding, propaganda, recruitment , and s... more Islamic State exploits cultural heritage for purposes of funding, propaganda, recruitment , and state-building. Evidence from Islamic State and Al Qaeda affiliates suggests that antiquities are a revenue source, while destruction of cultural monuments frequently appear in propaganda material. This chapter examines the trafficking networks that connect Syria and Iraq, and other areas under Islamic State control such as Libya, to outside markets, how terror organizations profit from antiquities , and the role of attacks on culture in recruitment and propaganda.
Since the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, also known as Daesh and ISIL) in 201... more Since the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, also known as Daesh and ISIL) in 2014, antiquities have been a widely publicized source of funding for what has become one of the most technologically savvy terrorist organizations of the modern era. The globalization of technology and rise of popularity in cryptocurrencies has changed the face of black-market trade and the actors that carry out these crimes. While art and antiquities have long served as a market with susceptibilities to laundering, the emergence of Dark Web markets, identification-masking software, and untraceable cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have opened new doors to potential vulnerabilities. The anonymity that is offered by these technologies acts as a roadblock for authorities, while attracting the likes of terrorists and transnational criminals. Investigative research using cyber security platforms to identify digital artifacts connected to potential traffickers provides the opportunity to unmask the seemingly untraceable actors behind these activities. The evidence of illicit antiquities trafficking on the Dark Web displayed in this article can generate a new discussion on how and where to study black-market antiquities to gain needed insight into combating the illicit trade online and the transnational criminal groups it may finance.
The Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 facilitated social movements that redefined the modern world. T... more The Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 facilitated social movements that redefined the modern world. These uprisings also served as the catalyst for cultural racketeering, or the systematic theft of art and antiquities by organized criminal syndicates. Although the widespread looting and destruction of sites is well known, it is not extensively documented. There are few detailed numbers on cultural racketeering in Egypt, and many of the numbers that do exist fail to critically examine the issue at large. However, the range of updates that stream from news reports and social media on the continuous looting and destruction of heritage in Egypt since the 2011 revolution has provided a new look at a measureable pattern of illicit heritage crimes. Media and social media reports of heritage threats in Egypt were collected over a three year period and dissected to extract the credible information and demographics that each contained. The data was then graphed and analyzed for patterns. The graphic analysis demonstrated that both individuals and groups seeking to steal Egypt's cultural patrimony are not selective or prone to single attacks; they undertake their efforts repeatedly and at a variety of places with clear evidence of recurring patterns and cycles. Studying these reports provides a route for researchers to reconcile the lack of traditional data covering huge areas of land. Examining all of the available information on heritage crimes to determine patterns is a critical element in identifying the stage of progress these crimes have reached so that the appropriate course of action can be taken to thwart criminal efforts before the scale of the geographic reach widens or increases in volume. The post-Arab Spring archaeologists of the twenty-first century must be investigators of the present as well as the past by navigating technology, politics, security, and economy in order to protect heritage.
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