The Protection of Cultural Heritage in Case of Armed Conflict.: Ethical and Legal Developments in Western Conception of the Question.

The main interest of the manuscript is about thethorny issue of the protection of cultural propertyin case of armed conflict which is, without doubt,the greatest risk factor for the integrity andpreservation of cultural property, either immovable(which may be exposed to destruction or, at best, todamage) or mobile (which can also be the subject oflooting, or at least, to steal abroad). The issue isextremely important, especially after the eventsoccurred during the wars in the Balkans, Afghanistanand Iraq which have enlightened on the many flawswithin the diplomatic instruments aimed at protectingthe cultural property from threats of armedconflicts. So, after having traced the evolution ofrelevant International Law, I analyse the Iraqiexemplum as paradigmatic of the infringementscommitted against it but also of post-conflictstrategies developed by major western military powerson behalf of protection of Iraqi cultural heritage. Therefore the study of these issues can become thestarting point for a critical review of relevantlegislation and for further development of postconflict efforts aimed at protecting cultural property.