Month: March 2026

U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield Issues Call to Action Amid Renewed Conflict in the Middle East

Posted on by Parker Blackwell

Since February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel have carried out strikes on Iran, prompting Iranian missile and drone attacks across the region, including against Israel and areas hosting U.S. forces. As the conflict escalates, cultural heritage and other civilian sites across the Middle East face heightened risk.

In response, a statement from the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS) calls on all parties to uphold their obligations under international law, including the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Protocols.

As the USCBS states, 

The destruction of cultural heritage is irreversible. It erases identity, history, and the shared memory of civilizations. No military or political objective justifies the willful or negligent destruction of humanity’s common inheritance. Such destruction is also one of the actions that can make returning to a state of peace more difficult.

The 1954 Hague Convention and its protocols establish clear legal duties to:

  • Refrain from directing attacks against cultural property
  • Avoid using cultural sites for military purposes
  • Protect and respect cultural heritage in both the planning and execution of military operations
  • Preserve access to and documentation of threatened sites

The United States, Israel, and Iran are all States Parties to the treaty. 

In the words of the USCBS statement,

We urge the United States Government, the Israeli Defense Forces, and all parties involved to take immediate and concrete steps to identify, map, and protect cultural sites throughout the region, especially in Iran, in full compliance with international humanitarian law.   

Read the full statement here.

AC Chairman and Founder Deborah Lehr Argues Successful Peace Settlement for Ukraine Must Include Cultural Property

Posted on by Parker Blackwell

Since the onset of Russian aggression in Ukraine, cultural property has been a key objective of Russia’s war strategy, exploited as a tool for propaganda and destroyed to erase Ukrainian identity.

In an op-ed published on March 5, 2026, for The Hill, Antiquities Coalition’s Chairman and Founder Deborah Lehr looks at an issue that should be part of any future Ukraine peace settlement: the return of looted cultural heritage.

The widespread destruction and theft of Ukraine’s cultural heritage is not incidental. Throughout history, cultural heritage has been both a victim and a weapon of war—to erase identity, rewrite narratives, and claim legitimacy over territory. Allowing Russia to retain Ukraine’s stolen cultural treasures would validate propaganda narratives, reward wartime looting, and embed grievances that could last for generations.

History also shows that the United States has played a leading role in confronting these crimes. Drawing on the legacy of the Monuments Men and Women, Lehr argues that U.S. negotiators now have an opportunity to continue that tradition by ensuring that Ukraine’s stolen cultural property is returned as part of any peace settlement.

As of early 2026, the U.S. is leading efforts to broker peace settlement to end the Ukraine-Russia war. As the United States helps shape the path toward any future settlement, one principle should remain clear: no nation should be allowed to erase another’s past.

Lehr concludes, 

“Ukraine’s cultural heritage is its art, history and faith. To allow Russia to retain the stolen cultural treasures would be to concede part of Ukraine’s identity at the negotiating table. As the United States helps shape the terms of any settlement, it should ensure that Russia cannot steal the record of Ukraine’s past or the foundation of its future.”

Read the op-ed in The Hill, here.

Want to learn more? Read the AC Think Tank Policy Brief, How Does Russia Exploit History and Cultural Heritage for Information Warfare? Recommendations for NATO, here.

Check out the Ten Most Wanted Missing Antiquities List to uncover the story of the Mariupol Bull Figurine, an 8,000-year-old Neolithic carving, looted during Russia’s 2022 siege of Ukraine, here.