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Show Economic Sanctions and the Black Market of Iraqi Antiquities: A Critical Response to John Malcolm Russell ; Kristen Smart [Peter Slug I eft] Department of History In the wake oF th*3 Gu h*Wn 11 n 1F31,1 he looting of Iraqi archaeological ?itesberarne a wide?p*ead pa nd?m«: In 15^7, >?h n Mnlrolm Ru^&ell pu bluhf*d The Hn^l S*rk oF N" neveh whirh ?ifl u?d that the strict eronomir sanctions placed against Inq were 1 he pnrnary c?uw For the rise tf the I ir>qi nintiqijrties black rnarket. UnHed Nations ?a n^nons. the took arg ues, forced the Iraqi people to rewrt to selling their own history in -order to ?ur*"rw. l-fcv^ver. \M\ ^ it is c lear 1 hat econom k *a n^i cnj ^^ in?1ed the I raqi KCfiorn^ the Tlaim that sanctions are the 5ole ^suw For the ^urge In ihpblnrkn-in r*«toF Iraqi nntiqud^s^unr^unLtol. There are three Factors th?i q reatly ^ontnbuied to 1 he nw in the black rnarket of lr?qi antiquities. First. 1 he dispwrtion of the Iraqi etonomv wa? not as sunny a? portray by Russell in the text. The Iraqi ewrwm;r h*d been in derl in? sine? the trw 1 !>7Cs, when 1 he Ba'athisi ac^ernment <re?sed Psca I planning and ¦ n^ n?a^ spending while the oil rnarket plum rneied. h h during this tine that the popuLnntyoF Imqi ?niqurtre? inrrewedand because oFihedireerorxirriic condrtion? In Iraq due 1o both the w^ ¦ ?nd1 he drop in oil prices the Illicit markei 1 h ro-^e. SK^nfl war darnages from both the Iran Iraq war and th^ Cu h"Wn i rpndered rnn ny ^ite? obsolete which p*ov"ded Further mcentrve for k>5tirq ^jed site? were easy targei? For looters berausfl-in many case? nriifn^n hnd twen tw5ed by mortar? or g u n fire and many ?itps were rTTtually u?ed as t^ises for mil dary operatives. Third. diRicuhnes In VJentnVing looted ak^rthnidertorPK^niKari^ein tiling The 1 irne lag beiw^en di^oveiy docurnentaiV^anrdpjb- ofnirchnpologicnl datni exacei Utt€? this piobJem as rt is €*1 ipm^ly dinVuft to Fc^iti^ly aul henticale l&ot^d artiFact^ especially iF finding? hnve not been published. Thus, while ftjssell is corn?rt that the economic ?ancfcn? Irnq aff^ted the W^rk markei of Irnqi anthquitie? he o¦¦¦erestimates the corre^atron between the two mean H^norir^ <?ther importnnt Factors 1 hat help p>:plain 1 he trend. |