ISIS destroys more ruins in Palmyra, Syria. Washington Post.

The Temple of Bel. Bernard Gagnon.

ISIS has destroyed the ancient Temple of Bel, one of the most important ruins in the city of Palmyra, Syria. Washington Post. The Temple, first erected  in the 1st century, was destroyed by ISIS fighters using explosives. Last week, ISIS destroyed yet another temple, this one the Temple of Baal Shaamin. Though no western sources have been able to confirm the destruction of the Temple of Bel, they have been able to confirm, through satellite images and posts by ISIS online that the Temple of Bel Shaamin was destroyed. ISIS had originally said that they were not going to destroy the temples stating that they wanted to only destroy "blasphemous" depictions of people and not ruins. However, ISIS has changed their mind. Experts believe that destroying the ruins are a propaganda coup for the group as it shows that ISIS is capable of doing whatever it wants, despite international outcry. ISIS has destroyed many major archaeological sites in both Syria and Iraq and uses the black market to sell smaller artifacts to fund their operations. 

My Comment:

I've been covering ISIS and their attacks on history since the inception of this blog so it probably isn't necessary to go into detail about why this is a terrible thing. It's all been said before. For a time I wanted to be an archaeologist so these attacks anger me on a personal level. ISIS's attacks on history is probably their greatest crime, and given all the horrors they have unleashed in the Middle East that is really saying something. I've said all that before, though it probably does bare repeating. 

I do have to talk about some other issues this report brings up. This really is a propaganda coup for ISIS. It really does show that they will do whatever they want, whenever they want. They have proven, once and again, that they will commit any atrocity they want and so far nobody has been able to stop them. Destroying these ruins, despite the international outcry, will appeal to many potential recruits who respect strength and agree with ISIS's rules on iconoclasm. 

I also have to mention that the article brought up the fact that ISIS is using the black market to fund their activities. These attacks on major sites are really a smokescreen for what ISIS is really doing. They are selling the Middle East's history to the highest bidder and making millions of dollars in the process. Sure, ISIS makes most of its money through oil, extortion, theft and donations, but it's important to note that selling artifacts on the black market is a major way for ISIS to make money.

So what can be done about the black market? Not much. You can, of course, attack the dealers and arrest them for supporting ISIS. Treat them the same way that you would treat a person that sends a check to ISIS or tries to join them. Will that happen? No, and even if it did there is too much demand for harsh tactics to do much. There is just to much money to be made so even if the risks are extreme, the people will still take it just to get rich. And if you are thinking that there are some obvious parallels to the war on drugs, well, you would be right.

Much like the war on drugs you could try and link buying artifacts from the black market and directly supporting terrorism. It's true, but it didn't work for the war on drugs either, despite the fact that it was reasonably true back then. Just like the high demand for drugs in America fuels violence in Mexico and Columbia, the high demand for artifacts in Europe drives the violence in Syria and Iraq. This is nothing new, even during the 2nd Iraq War insurgent groups used the black market to fund their operations, but the level of violence has increased.    

As for ISIS itself, I see this also as a way to keep in the news.There haven't been all that many chances for them to win victories in Syria or Iraq since it is difficult to fight wars in summer in both countries. So instead of major operations, we are seeing terror attacks and the destruction of ruins. I am hoping that after fall hits they will go back to warfare, though I doubt they will stop these activities anyways. They are driven by their beliefs and the desire for profit so they pretty much have to keep doing what they are doing.