FATF: US Should Apply Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Laws to High Risk Actors in the American Art Market

The Antiquities Coalition welcomes a new study from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in the Art and Antiquities Market. The 57-page report explores the links between money laundering, terrorist financing, and cultural property, identifying several factors that make the USD $65.1 billion market attractive to criminals and terrorists seeking to launder illegal proceeds or otherwise fund their activities. It notes that some countries have taken proactive action to mitigate these risks, but concludes more needs to be done: many jurisdictions do not have sufficient awareness and understanding of the risks, resulting in a lack of law enforcement resources and expertise, as well as difficulties pursuing cross-border investigations.

FATF warned that the art and antiquities market is vulnerable to this misuse, and likewise that governments are currently ill positioned to fight back, due to a number of challenges such as:

  • difficulties in tracing the origin of cultural objects;
  • a history of privacy and the use of third-party intermediaries in the sector;
  • inadequate measures, or none at all, to identify and verify customers;
  • a low number of suspicious transaction reports filed with Financial Intelligence Units;
  • a lack of prioritization of investigations in this area;
  • limited resources, awareness, and expertise by operational authorities; and
  • difficulties with cross-border investigations.

The report urges countries to strengthen their understanding of the current threats, while providing advice on successful strategies for responding. It also identifies several risk indicators that can help public and privacy sector entities identify suspicious activities, and highlights the importance of strengthened anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) measures. It additionally stresses the importance of rapidly identifying and tracing cultural objects involved in money laundering or terrorist financing to aid the seizure and confiscation of items, as well as any associated illicit proceeds.

The report includes some good practices that countries have taken to address the challenges they face, including:

  • the establishment of specialized units and cross-disciplinary networks of experts;
  • enhanced domestic and international information sharing;
  • access to relevant databases; and
  • cooperation with experts and archaeologists to help identify, trace, investigate and repatriate cultural objects.

The 60-page report was published on February 27 and reinforces many of the Antiquities Coalition’s findings and recommendations from its 2020 Financial Crimes Task Force Report. Indeed, in that study, the Antiquities Coalition called on FATF to generate a typology report to identify money laundering and terrorist financing vulnerabilities related to the art and antiquities trade. Other recommendations reinforced in the FATF report include calling on the public and private sectors to: 

  • work together to strengthen information sharing, including having national customs and law enforcement agencies contribute data on their cultural property seizures to the World Custom Organization (WCO), for inclusion in its annual Illicit Trade Report;
  • update guidance and training for law enforcement to include the unique risks and opportunities presented by the art market;
  • use FinCEN’s existing tools, such as targeted record-keeping and reporting requirements, to better understand threats to the art market from financial crimes; and
  • apply AML/CFT requirements to high-risk art market participants.

The American art market remains largely excluded from the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the 1970 statute that still governs AML and CFT efforts in the United States. The 2020 AML Act was the first major update to the BSA in almost twenty years, and among many other things, added antiquities dealers to the list of individuals that must assist the U.S. government in preventing and detecting financial crimes. In addition to expected businesses like banks, the BSA had already applied to sellers of precious metals, stones, jewels, automobiles, planes, and boats, as well as to casinos, real estate professionals, travel agencies, and pawn shops. 

The 2020 AML’s Act inclusion of antiquities dealers was just one small part of a wider legislative overhaul, that has left Treasury with enormous tasks before it in the months and even years ahead. FATF’s report on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in the Art and Antiquities Market reinforces the need to prioritize the regulation and protection of this market in the United States.

Read the FCTF Report here.

AC Congratulates Advisor Dr. Zahi Hawass on Latest Discovery

The Great Pyramids have remained a mystery for thousands of years. Experts are even divided on how exactly the pyramids were constructed. Although they have been studied extensively for years, new research methods continue to uncover fascinating details about their interior structure.

After eight years of exploring, Dr. Zahi Hawass, Advisor for the Antiquities Coalition, and his team have uncovered a new tunnel in the Pyramid of Khufu. This work was made possible by recent scanning technology allowing researchers to look at unexplored areas without disrupting  the Pyramid itself. This achievement brings us one step closer to learning more about these significant pieces of history, their construction, and those who built them. 

This discovery also showcases the importance of preserving and protecting cultural heritage sites to allow for the detection of historical objects without causing harm. The Antiquities Coalition congratulates Dr. Hawass on this wonderful revelation and looks forward to future contributions from his team.

Watch the press conference here.

Dynamite Doug Podcast Exposes Douglas Latchford with AC’s Tess Davis

Cambodia’s rich cultural heritage was ravaged during years of Civil War and sold into the illicit antiquities market by numerous smugglers. However, one stands out among the rest for his severe crimes against the nation’s history: Douglas Latchford.

For more than 40 years, Latchford was the world’s foremost dealer of Cambodian antiquities, even allowing some to end up in prestigious institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York and the British Museum. The Antiquities Coalition worked extensively alongside the Pandora Papers investigation in exposing Latchford’s dark legacy on a global scale in 2021.

On March 1, Project Brazen launched Dynamite Doug, a new podcast series diving into how Latchford carried out the greatest art heist in history – the looting of Cambodia’s entire cultural heritage. The six episodes were informed by Latchford’s emails, secret audio recordings and over 30 interviews to serve as the most explosive account yet of his actions. 

Hosted by actor Ellen Wong, the series features cultural heritage experts including Tess Davis, Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition, in conversations on how Latchford got away with destroying Cambodia’s heritage for his own gain.

Cambodian dancer Sophiline Cheam Shapiro staged a protest in the Met to accompany the podcast launch, spotlighting the nation’s attempts to reclaim its heritage as she danced alongside statues looted by Latchford and on display.

Learn more about the podcast and listen here.

AC’s Deborah Lehr and Tess Davis: On Anniversary of Ukraine Invasion, We Must Close Loopholes to Stop Russia from Exploiting the American Art Market

This blog post is authored by Deborah Lehr, Chairman and Founder of the Antiquities Coalition, and Tess Davis, Executive Director.

Today, February 24, marks one year since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

As Russia continues to attack Ukraine by land, sea, and air, we must remember President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning that Vladimir Putin is aiming to “erase Ukraine, its history and its peoples”— including his country’s rich cultural heritage. Russia is seeking to achieve this goal through both the intentional, targeted destruction of sites and collections as well as pillage and theft. The latter has the added advantage of providing a potentially lucrative source of financing.

And despite the U.S. government’s efforts to isolate Russia’s economy, a major blind spot remains: the American art market.

In 2020, a Senate report revealed how a pair of Russian tycoons laundered millions through the American art market in a full evasion of U.S. sanctions. The report, and many others, refer to the $28.3 billion American art market as the largest unregulated industry in the U.S. and, arguably, the world.

Headlines of this expose tell you much of what you need to know: 

The pair in the report are Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, two Russian billionaires, who over the years amassed a fortune in contracts and investments tied to the Kremlin due to their childhood friendship with Vladimir Putin. After Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea in February 2014, the United States quickly followed with sanctions on Putin and his inner circle, including the Rotenbergs.

By July 2020, when the Senate report was published, these sanctions targeted over 700 Russian individuals and entities. The U.S. government generally feels that sanctions are a powerful tool to force behavior change without military action, yet there had been growing concern in Congress that these particular sanctions weren’t working. 

For too long, the American art market has not been subject to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), our country’s primary anti-money laundering (AML) law. This weakness is exploited by bad actors, like the Rotenbergs, to evade U.S. sanctions. 

The Rotenberg scheme hinged on the concept of beneficial ownership of both corporations and art, using shell companies and art intermediaries. Shell companies are businesses that exist only on paper, and it’s important to stress they’re not necessarily illegal, but they can certainly be useful tools for illegal acts. These companies make it incredibly difficult, even for U.S. investigators, to determine who funds and profits from them, especially if they are formed in “offshore” jurisdictions with lax reporting requirements. The Senate investigation states that they don’t think they even found all of the Rotenbergs’ shell companies. 

The brothers also used an art intermediary, in this case, an American expatriate in Moscow by the name of Gregory Baltser. Again, this is a common practice that is not illegal, but a role that can be abused. Baltser, or his art agency, would bid on works for the Rotenbergs at auctions or negotiate with private dealers. They would purchase the pieces, using Rotenberg money disguised through the shell companies, and transfer the title to the Rotenbergs or one of their corporations.

From May to November 2014 alone, these shell companies were used to purchase at least $18 million plus worth of art in the United States, potentially giving the Rotenbergs major financial assets in the country.

The BSA requires high-risk individuals and institutions to assist the U.S. government in detecting and preventing financial crimes, however, major auction houses do not have to comply. If Baltser had been buying precious metals, stones, and jewels (or even an automobile, boat, or plane), U.S. law would have required the sellers to confirm the identity of the actual buyer and taken basic steps to ensure the transactions were not covers to launder money. 

The Rotenberg case study shows that this current art market exemption is not working for our national security and economic integrity — and it’s not working for the art market. The European Union, United Kingdom, and Switzerland have all already applied their AML regimes to the art market, why haven’t we?

If the United States doesn’t act, we risk our jurisdiction continuing to be a safe haven for criminals like the Rotenbergs. As we think about the devastation Ukraine has faced and will continue to face, we urge policymakers to consider closing this pathway to protect our shared history, economic integrity, and global security.

AC Discusses the Role of Cultural Heritage Professionals in Protecting Ukraine’s Heritage

February 2023 marks one year since Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Among the many tragedies of war, including the countless lives lost, the communities and cities decimated, and the ruin of the economy, the plunder and destruction of the country’s rich cultural heritage is another devastation.

UNESCO reports that over 230 sites of cultural significance have been damaged or destroyed to date. Last month, it was reported that more than 15,000 pieces of art and artifacts have been pillaged, including a body of Scythian gold and nearly the entire collection of the Kherson Regional Art museum.

Priceless to the Ukrainian people, these treasures have the potential to be a valuable commodity to the cash-strapped Russian State and may greatly undermine the U.S.-led sanctions regime, Deborah Lehr, Chairman and Founder of the Antiquities Coalition, warns.

On February 6, the Antiquities Coalition gathered cultural heritage experts to observe one year of this international crisis and discuss the responsibility the U.S. and all of us have to better support the Ukrainian people and their heritage.

Moderated by Tess Davis, Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition, the panel of speakers included:

  • Dr. Kate Harrell, an archeologist working in international cultural heritage protection, investigator with the Conflict Observatory, and co-author of a recent policy brief for the AC Think Tank.
  • Dr. Sam Hardy, a cultural property criminologist and Head of Illicit Trade Research at the Heritage Management Organization, working closely with colleagues on the ground in Ukraine.
  • Dr. Chris Jasparro, a geographer and archaeologist specializing in cultural property protection and transnational security issues on the faculty of the U.S. Naval War College. Dr. Jasparro is also the co-author of another Think Thank policy brief.
  • Damian Koropeckyj, a consultant in cultural heritage risk management and co-author of the same policy brief as Dr. Harrell.

Davis emphasized that the American art market, valued at $28 billion and making up 43% of the global market, is likely the end destination for illicit objects looted from Ukraine or other areas of conflict. 

“When faced with similar crises, Washington has closed U.S. borders to suspect cultural material by requiring that at-risk imports have proof of legal export and authorizing law enforcement to seize those that do not,” Davis said. “This simple but effective step has made a major difference in past crises, but it has yet to happen today.”

The panelists shared tangible ways that foreign agencies, including governments and NGOs, and cultural heritage professionals can positively impact heritage preservation in Ukraine or other areas of conflict:

  • Inventory your current collection. There’s a growing reliance on the internet to understand what lives in museum collections, but bad actors like Russia can cut off the internet and eliminate the ability to determine what’s still secure. Specific to Ukraine, Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO) is an initiative of over 1,500 international volunteers who are collaborating online to digitize and preserve Ukrainian cultural heritage.
  • Cooperation with other international heritage organizations. Rather than offering individual solutions to solve the Ukraine crisis, our panelists say working together on a global solution could achieve more effective results.
  • Employ Ukrainians in Ukraine. Our panel flagged that applications for funding get rejected because of the risk to workers, but Ukrainians desire to support their communities. These individuals will likely continue their work to preserve and protect their heritage, but will they have the support to safely do so?

As global conflicts continue to threaten communities and their unique heritage, the Antiquities Coalition hopes cultural heritage professionals will better understand how to play a role during times of crises to better preserve and protect our shared history. Watch the full webinar here.

Live Webinar: One Year After the Ukraine Invasion – How Can Cultural Heritage Professionals Play a Role?

Join us for this free webinar on February 6 at 10:00 AM New York 

February 24, 2023, marks one year since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, resulting in the immense destruction of livelihoods, communities, and cultural heritage. As efforts to strip Ukraine of its cultural identity continue today, the Antiquities Coalition will convene cultural heritage experts on February 6 to reflect on and discuss strategies for preserving and protecting the country’s history.

Speakers include Damian Koropeckyj and Dr. Kate Harrell who recently co-authored a policy brief for the Antiquities Coalition’s Think Tank. In their brief, Harrell and Koropeckyj call on cultural heritage professionals to play an active part in the ongoing conversation about taking down cultural monuments (or monument removal), given the field’s wealth of knowledge regarding the care, conservation, documentation relocation, storage, and removal of cultural property. The authors provide a series of recommendations to support heritage professionals in developing such principles based on what has worked in the museum context, which have relevance not only for the situation in Ukraine but also around the world.     

“Moving forward together as an international community of experts in heritage is particularly important in the face of issues as fraught as monumental removal,” Harrell and Koropeckyj write. “The policy recommendations that follow should be considered a call for action for both heritage workers and their executive organizational bodies.”

In addition to the destruction of monuments and sites, experts also report that the invasion represents the biggest art heist since the Nazis in World War II, with tens of thousands of pieces looted, including avant-garde oil paintings and Scythian gold. Looting and destruction of cultural heritage has huge implications for the war—in 2022, Dr. Christopher Jasparro warned in his co-authored policy brief for the AC Think Tank that historical propaganda and the exploitation of cultural heritage have become a central component of the Kremlin’s information warfare campaigns. Jasparro will join the webinar to provide an update on this situation, along with Dr. Samuel Hardy, a cultural property criminologist who is conducting research on Ukraine.

From recent conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, and now, Ukraine, the international community has seen the catastrophic impact of war on cultural heritage. Ukrainians will face significant challenges in recovering their art and artifacts and rebuilding their communities. Law enforcement, governments, heritage professionals, and the art market can play a role in protecting Ukrainian heritage. The Antiquities Coalition looks forward to your participation in this important conversation. 

Moderated by Tess Davis, Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition. 

AC Explores International Policy to Combat Looting During AIA’s Annual Meeting

In April 2003, looters broke into the National Museum of Iraq, stealing and destroying nearly 15,000 objects, of which only an approximate one-third have been recovered. Iraq’s cultural heritage continues to suffer looting and damage throughout conflict and beyond, exposing significant gaps in and prompting reevaluation of U.S. and international cultural heritage protection efforts from all sectors, including law, policy, academia, government, military, and the public.

Tess Davis, Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition, and Helena Arose, Project Director of the Antiquities Coalition, explored the scope of developments in cultural heritage protection over the past 20 years during the Archeological Institute of America’s (AIA) Annual Meeting from January 5-8, 2023.

Arose and Davis organized the session Cultural Heritage Protection After Iraq: Advances And Developments Over The Past 20 Years, where both spoke alongside other cultural heritage protection and preservation experts, including:

  • Dr. Patty Gerstenblith, research professor of law at DePaul University and director of its Center for Art, Museum & Cultural Heritage Law.
  • Larry Schwartz, AC advisor and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
  • Dr. Catherine P. Foster, Executive Director for the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee (CHCC) in the U.S. Department of State Cultural Heritage Center.
  • Corine Wegener, the director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (SCRI).
  • Dr. Brian I. Daniels, AIA’s Vice President for Cultural Heritage.
  • Dr. Neil Brodie, a top expert in the field of antiquities trafficking and a Corresponding Member of the AIA.

Davis detailed the Antiquities Coalition’s partnerships with the State Department, ministries of foreign affairs, defense, intelligence, and law enforcement communities and what is still needed in international policy to effectively mitigate the illicit trade of art and antiquities. 

The looting of Iraq’s National Museum marked the beginning of widespread pillage at archaeological sites across the country by everyone from opportunistic criminals to terrorist groups like Al Qaeda. This event changed the global conversation on cultural racketeering, raising awareness among the general public and policymakers, directly and indirectly leading to concrete changes in law and policy around the world. 

A report by the Antiquities Coalition and Dr. Brodie, Safeguarding Cultural Heritage in Conflict Zones: A Roadmap for the G20 to Combat the Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects, emphasized that the illicit trade in cultural objects is not a preservation failure, but a failure of governance, law, diplomacy, civil society, and markets.

A lack of political will remains the main obstacle to positive change, but convening world leaders to raise awareness and grow support for coordinated action will help to recognize that antiquities trafficking is not just a threat to our shared history, but to human rights, national economies, and global security.

The Antiquities Coalition thanks the AIA for hosting and sponsoring this vital conversation and looks forward to playing a role in future policy developments to preserve and protect our shared history.

 

 

 

 

AC Founder Explores China’s Relationship with Archaeology in New Publication

Every country is home to a wealth of cultural masterpieces that represent thousands of years of history. As bad actors continue to loot and destroy heritage across the world, global cooperation and respect for one another’s culture are key to fighting the illicit antiquities trade. 

The China-Europe-America Global Initiative recently tackled this issue with regards to China in its third volume of China and the World. Edited by David Gosset, Founder of the CEA Global Initiative, the publication is authored by 20 global cultural and art experts, including Deborah Lehr, Chair and Founder of the Antiquities Coalition.

Lehr contributed Chapter 13, The Role of Archaeology in the Relationship between China and the World. In it she writes, “China’s role as a powerhouse in the global art market means that they are uniquely well positioned to take on a more proactive role in fighting the illicit trade of artifacts from other ancient societies that share their goal.” She also notes that, “Ultimately, it is critical to remember that cultural racketeering is not just a threat to the legitimate art market, but to our shared history, human rights, national economies, and global security.”

Other chapters focus on the global opportunity for partnerships, building a shared culture, the role of art and design, and more.

Gosset emphasized the goal of the publication during the launch event, saying, “Culture is the keystone of what we are doing and what we should do.”

The Antiquities Coalition previously collaborated with the CEA Global Initiative in 2022 for a global dialogue on National Museum Day. The event explored the vital responsibility of museums in the fight against cultural racketeering, featuring remarks from Lehr and Davis.

Learn more and purchase the book here.

AC’s Tess Davis Explores Cultural Racketeering in Florida During WAWLT Podcast

The American art market comprises 42% of the international art market, making it the largest in the world. Because of its scale, U.S. collectors, policymakers, and the public are uniquely positioned to play a role in combating the illicit trade of art and antiquities. 

While most individuals assume looted and stolen artifacts are prevalent only in the U.S.’s largest museums, these objects are located across the nation and appear frequently in smaller museums and at premier art shows.

Tess Davis, Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition, spoke to David Quiñones, one of the hosts of the Why Are We Like This? podcast, to discuss the global issue of cultural racketeering and how the illicit antiquities trade thrives in the podcast’s home state of Florida.

Miami Beach is the U.S. location for the Art Basel show, an art fair hosting some of the top galleries and auction houses in one place. Davis notes that because efforts to mitigate the illicit antiquities trade have largely focused on New York, illegal art markets are emerging in cities like Miami Beach, Houston, and more.

There have also been significant repatriations from Florida residents in recent years, most notably from Netscape founder James H. Clark. Clark’s collection included tens of millions of dollars worth of artifacts smuggled and trafficked from Southeast Asia, including the 1000-year-old statue of Ganesha.

Davis emphasizes that awareness around the illicit antiquities trade is growing and museum patrons are increasingly holding these institutions accountable for the stolen objects within their walls. As more individuals speak out about cultural racketeering, we can expect to see more repatriations from collectors and museums and vital policy change from national and international governments.

Listen to the full episode here.

AC Explores Connections Between Cultural Racketeering and Corruption at the World’s Largest Forum in the Fight Against Corruption

As long as there have been tombs, there have been tomb raiders. For hundreds of years, civilizations have attempted to preserve their history from enemies seeking to plunder them, but today we’re seeing these crimes take place on an unprecedented scale. Globalization and technology are advancing at a much faster rate than our governments, law enforcement, and public policy can fight back. 

These bad actors also have an increased opportunity to strike when regions are experiencing conflict. In Iraq and Syria, war has led to a surge of looting of archeological sites and the production of counterfeits as the illicit antiquities trade generates substantial revenue for conducting acts of violence on local and international scales.

On December 9, 2022, Tess Davis, Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition, and Helena Arose, Project Director of the Antiquities Coalition, were honored to speak during the International Anti-Corruption Conference to discuss the issue of looted antiquities and conflict financing. They joined the panel “Looted Antiquities and Conflict Financing” hosted by the Docket, an Initiative by the Clooney Foundation for Justice. In 2020, The Docket launched a multi-country investigation tracking the smuggling of antiquities from Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen into European markets and the United States. It released the results of this investigation in a report this summer.

Moderated by Shaunagh Connaire, Communications Director at the Clooney Foundation for Justice, the panel featured Davis and Arose alongside Antonia David, Legal Program Manager at the Docket, Layla Hashemi, Researcher and Data Analyst at the Terrorism Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, and Mike Loughnane, President of Loughnane Associates.

In many jurisdictions around the world, including the United States, the multi-billion dollar art market is not subject to anti-money laundering protections. Davis, Arose, and their fellow panelists emphasized that this comes back to the misconception that cultural racketeering is a white-collar, victimless crime. Policymakers are beginning to realize the urgency of tackling this illicit trade, but a lack of global policy has pushed the burden of action onto the art community.

“We have been expecting archaeologists, conservators, preservationists to combat trafficking, money laundering, tax evasion, sanctions evasion,” said Davis. “These are completely different languages.”

The panelists concluded the conversation with three key takeaways for attendees:

  1. International governments need to close loopholes in the art market regulation that allow for corruption, sanctions evasions, and financial crimes to effectively mitigate the illicit antiquities trade.
  2. Public institutions, including museums, need to be held accountable for their complacency and participation within the illicit trade. These institutions can play a vital role in advocating for legal practices in the global art market and influencing private collectors.
  3. Anti-corruption and transparency organizations have a role in the fight against cultural racketeering as this illicit trade not only compromises bad actors but ethical collectors and consumers.

The Antiquities Coalition thanks the IACC for hosting this important conversation and looks forward to collaborating with global anti-corruption experts to protect and preserve our shared history, human rights, national economies, and global security.

Council on Foreign Relations Debriefs COP27, ASEAN, and G20 Summits

The illicit trade of art and antiquities is no longer a niche issue. Global leaders in government, law enforcement, museums, and more recognize that significant action must be taken to end cultural racketeering and safeguard our shared history for future generations.

In 2022, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cambodia, and the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Indonesia shined a light on this crime. These summits introduced and reinforced the threat of the illicit antiquities trade to a larger audience and presented solutions for mitigating the issue. Each initiative also introduced a declaration broadly mentioning plans to combat the illicit trade in art and artifacts and/or preserve and protect cultural heritage.

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) held a Diplomacy Debrief on November 21, 2022, to dive deeper into takeaways from each of these events and some of the most pressing international issues.

Tess Davis, Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition and Term Member of the CFR, had the opportunity to ask these experts about the role that cultural diplomacy—like that seen at this year’s COP270, G20, and ASEAN meetings—plays in wider foreign diplomacy.

Miles Kahler, Senior Fellow for Global Governance at CFR and a professor at the American University School of International Service, answered that antiquities have been part of illicit financial flows as a result of globalization, and this is a big issue facing museums and other cultural institutions around the world. Kahler also shared the role of the G20 is to signal to governments that cultural racketeering is an important issue on the international agenda.

Zoe Liu, Fellow for International Political Economy at CFR, spoke about China’s perspective on the illicit antiquities trade, as Chinese politicians and scholars have been interested in receiving stolen Chinese statues from the British Museum as the country builds major museums. Liu emphasized that cultural diplomacy is an important aspect of bilateral relations between the United States and China.

The CFR previously discussed the issue of cultural racketeering during an episode of its “Why It Matters” Podcast. Davis joined Dr. Amr Al Azm, Professor of History and Anthropology at Shawnee State University, and host Gabrielle Sierra to explore cultural heritage during war, antiquities looting and trafficking, terrorist financing, and more.

Read the full transcript of the event here.

Think Tank: What Role Should Cultural Heritage Professionals and Organizations Play in Monument Removal?

Latest Policy Brief Outlines Best Practices Based on Lessons Learned from Museum Deaccessioning

From the United States, to Senegal, to Ukraine, communities are increasingly reevaluating the legacy of public monuments, especially those erected during prior regimes. This is a complex process, requiring consideration and input from a wide range of stakeholders. However, in many cases, heritage organizations have not yet taken an organized role to support citizens and their governments in navigating these difficult waters. 

In the Antiquities Coalition’s newest policy brief, Kate Harrell and Damian Koropeckyj call on cultural heritage professionals to play an active part in this ongoing conversation, given the field’s wealth of knowledge regarding the care, conservation, documentation relocation, storage, and removal of cultural property. They also argue that should a community decide to remove a monument, this action should be considered a form of “community deaccessioning,” analogous to deaccessioning within the museum space, and thus guided by written policies and best practices. The authors provide a series of recommendations to support heritage professionals in developing such principles based on what has worked in the museum context.    

“Moving forward together as an international community of experts in heritage is particularly important in the face of issues as fraught as monumental removal” Harrell and Koropeckyj write. “The policy recommendations that follow should be considered a call for action for both heritage workers and their executive organizational bodies.”

This is the twelfth policy brief published by the Antiquities Coalition Tank, which works to bring high-quality, innovative, and results-oriented research to the world’s decision makers. The institution seeks to foster debate and discussion on the most pressing challenges facing cultural heritage today, whether the illicit antiquities trade, armed conflict, or climate change. It was honored in 2018 as one of the world’s “Best New Think Tanks” by the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Global Go To Think Tank Index.

For a summary and link to the policy brief, click here.