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Da Esh Case Study

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The United States and its allied partners have made good progress in their efforts to control terrorist activities in many parts of the globe, but these efforts can only yield results if the substantial funding sources of Da'esh and similar groups aren't curbed immediately. They must focus efforts on adopting proactive measures that curb the market of looted and stolen antiquities and artifacts by terrorist organizations. Blood antiquities serve as a major means of funding terrorists ensures their continued existence and the possibility for future expansion. The Middle East is an exceptional archaeological and art-historical palimpsest of vanished and still existing civilizations as illustrated with an array of sites and monuments spanning …show more content…

These assumptions may seem alarmist. However, Da'esh has repetitively said that they despise "Western" culture and find it idolatrous. Therefore, to contain Da'esh and simultaneously achieve maximum strategic success, the United States and its allies must evolve by focusing efforts on countries to adopt proactive measures that will curb the market for antiquities and artifacts from Syria and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. A law signed by President Obama on May 9, 2016 makes it illegal to import antiquities from Syria into the United States. This law should focus the efforts of the Joint Terrorism Task Forces to assist prosecutors in order to seize the wealth and jail those engaged in this illicit market at all levels. Severe prosecution and the associated public disgrace of western collectors and dealers will reduce market demand and by doing so diminish a major funding stream for terrorists, rogue regimes, and transnational organized crime. Following this law, it is critical that the United States Government makes efforts to include international cultural experts to depoliticize and optimize transdisciplinary and interagency strategies including counter-threat finance. By using such enhanced efforts, the United States will lead the global community in holding those accountable who commit and profit by cultural

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