Monitoring Armed Conflicts Damages and Risks to Cultural Heritage
2024 has left a vast number of destructions of buildings and places of profound historical, artistic, religious and cultural value. The deliberate destruction of natural or man-made environments that express the values of the community that created or recognized them as such is not new in the history of mankind. The ability to selectively hit them has instead increased in recent decades, and leads to having to draw up long lists of destruction in almost all conflict scenarios.
The strategy of destruction in History
The destruction of cultural heritage in times of war is a plague that has accompanied the history of humanity since its dawn. From the Roman and barbarian invasions to the destruction of libraries and temples during the Crusades, up to the systematic attacks of today, the devastation of cultural heritage has always had a value far deeper than the material one. In recent times, this phenomenon has acquired a new dimension, intertwining with the dynamics of hybrid warfare and global geopolitics.
In times past, the destruction of monuments, temples and works of art was often seen as a strategy of supremacy. Destroying cultural symbols of a people meant annihilating their identity and collective memory. During ancient wars, for example, cities were sacked and temples destroyed not only for their material value, but also to reduce the capacity of a people to psychologically resist. The destruction of heritage was an integral part of total war, aimed at undermining the morale of the population and demolishing any emotional and cultural connection with their land.
In the 20th century, with the advent of modern warfare, the destruction of cultural heritage acquired a new connotation: “total war” included the attack on symbolic elements of a people. During the Second World War, for example, historical cities such as Warsaw, Dresden and Leningrad were bombed, and the systematic destruction of museums, churches, and monuments became a deliberate strategy of plunder and annihilation. This phenomenon did not stop with the end of the Cold War, on the contrary, it has become an increasingly relevant aspect also in civil wars and ethnic conflicts.
The case of modern warfare and hybrid warfare
Today, the destruction of cultural heritage has evolved into a phenomenon that is not only physical, but also digital and psychological. In modern conflicts, especially in civil wars and hybrid warfare, the deliberate destruction of cultural symbols plays a central role. Hybrid warfare, characterized by the use of unconventional strategies – such as propaganda, disinformation, cyber warfare, and sabotage – has transformed cultural destruction into a weapon of destabilization that goes beyond simple material devastation.
The destruction of cultural heritage is not only a form of punishment, but also becomes a means to erase an identity, disintegrate a community and eradicate the sense of belonging to a territory. An emblematic example is the destruction of monuments and places of worship during the war in Syria, particularly in Palmyra, where jihadist groups deliberately demolished thousand-year-old ruins, symbols of Roman civilization and Syrian culture. These acts were not only an expression of hatred towards historical heritage, but also attempts to rewrite history, to impose a new ideological narrative and to break any emotional link with the past.
The war against identities
The deliberate devastation of cultural heritage is part of a broader strategy of war against cultural and ethnic identities. When a group or a State decides to attack, loot or destroy the cultural symbols of another people, it does so with the intent of undermining its own social cohesion and erasing any trace of the past that could nourish feelings of resistance. These acts are not only an attack on people, but on their sense of identity, their historical memory, the values that bind them to their land.
In the context of hybrid wars, the destruction of cultural heritage also becomes an act of psychological warfare. Today, in an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, images of destroyed monuments or looted cultural assets can be conveyed virally via social media, amplifying the devastating effect not only on the populations directly involved, but on global public opinion. The visibility of these attacks, their diffusion in the media, fuels the narrative of a total war in which one does not fight only with weapons, but also through symbolic annihilation.
Cultural heritage is a fundamental part of a people’s identity and history and therefore the threats that put it at risk are numerous. The reasons why it is essential to monitor the damage caused by war are numerous:
- Document loss and destruction: Accurate documentation of damage provides a basis for assessing the extent of loss and for planning recovery and restoration interventions.
- Recognize war crimes: The intentional destruction of cultural heritage may constitute a war crime. Documentation of damage can be used as evidence in international courts.
- Raise public awareness: Showing the world the consequences of conflicts on cultural heritage helps raise public awareness of the importance of its protection.
- Protect and preserve for future generations: Cultural heritage is a legacy for future generations and its protection during conflicts is essential to ensure its transmission.
- Promoting reconciliation: After a conflict, cultural heritage can play an important role in reconciliation between communities.
International response and challenges
In recent decades, the international community has sought to respond to these crimes with conventions and treaties such as the 1954 Hague Convention and the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Cultural Heritage. However, despite these efforts, the protection of cultural heritage in times of war has remained a difficult issue to resolve. Hybrid warfare has further complicated the picture, as international law has often failed to adequately protect cultural heritage from targeted attacks, especially when wars are fought through proxies or in contexts where international norms are ignored or circumvented.
Conclusions
The deliberate destruction of cultural heritage is an act of violence that goes far beyond the loss of material objects: it is an attack on the soul of a people. In an era marked by hybrid warfare, the devastation of heritage becomes a powerful tool for disinformation and destabilization. It is essential that the international community acknowledges the gravity of these attacks and seeks not only to preserve material heritage, but to protect the identities and collective memory of peoples. Culture, in fact, is not just something tangible, but is the invisible force that holds communities together and allows them to withstand the storms of history.
Our Monitoring
In our opinion, it is equally important to keep alive the memory of the actions perpetrated against populations and, in some cases, against world heritage through actions aimed at erasing traces of culture, religion or art around which the identity of a community was created and maintained.
Monitoring damage to cultural heritage caused by armed conflict is a moral duty and an investment for the future. For this reason, at the beginning of 2025 we believe it is appropriate to recall the main events recalled in the previous year. Below is the list of posts published.
