Along with the recent destruction of Palmyra, Leon Wieseltier comments on the political ideology in America. During its peak, Palmyra was an epicenter for trade and unmatched in its diversity. Although America lacks such a rich history, in a strange way, we can find ourselves relating to the ancient Palmyra; we could one day be met with the same fate. Why, then, are we so disinterested in helping preserve the ancient city? This is the question Wieseltier explores in his piece for The Atlantic.
Palmyra grew in popularity when terrorist group ISIS inhabited the area and began their destruction of the ancient ruins which were a UNESCO World Heritage site. Soon after, the media was inundated with images of executions taking place there. One of those killed was Khaled al-Asaad, who was the antiquities director for Palmyra that refused to aid those who tortured him for information. Wieseltier shows his respect for Asaad, killed in August 2015, and calls him a “hero of archaeology.”
Just as Palmyra acted a gateway of sorts between ancient cultures, it also serves as a gateway to the Western world. Its captivating history serves as a reminder to the vast achievements that were accomplished there, and ISIS is so quick to wipe them away. Would they do the same thing to America if given the chance?
These religious warriors hold their own gods so high above everything else and denounce these false idols of history but they are still selling the representations of gods past to fund their conquests. Wieseltier discusses the idea that doing away with religion may result in a deflation of the violence and greed which is currently causing the social issues at hand.
However, more than anything else, the presence of ISIS in Palmyra serves as a reminder of their strength and disregard for cultures, both old and new. They raided the city with the intent to sell the newly acquired artifacts. ISIS has proven to be a force not to be reckoned with. Perhaps our lack of motivation to interfere may stem from cowardice. Perhaps it is the result of a simple disinterest and an inability to truly empathize due to our country’s short history. Regardless, history is being destroyed, and America is doing almost nothing to prevent it.
It remains unanswered as to whether or not the artifacts and the history of other cultures truly our responsibility? With the desire to oppose these foreign forces, we would also need to risk the lives of our own people to preserve the treasures of another’s. The question remains whether it is worth risking the present to preserve the past.
Wieseltier acknowledges the fleeting existence of civilizations and their ruins. His strongest thoughts come out in the last three paragraphs. He uses sarcasm to highlight all that America has done to improve the situation in Palmyra. Training 54 soldiers is not enough. “What did we think would happen if we did nothing?” Wieseltier asks in the paragraph prior. He condemns America for having such selfish ideals: “What was done in Palmyra was a crime.” That is, in my opinion, not up for debate. The destruction of history is heinous, but whose job is it to bring it to an end? The United States is involved with the defeat of ISIS, but does that extend to involvement in preserving history? Syrian culture is of little importance to America, and the lax way in which we are dealing with the situation at hand shows that.
The situation has become one of social injustice. People are dying. Innocent people are dying. It becomes not only America’s responsibility but everyone’s responsibility to step up and end the terrors that blameless citizens face.
