Explaining intentional cultural destruction in the Syrian Civil War
| Author | Luis Felipe Mantilla,Zorana Knezevic |
| Published date | 01 July 2022 |
| Date | 01 July 2022 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00223433211039093 |
| Subject Matter | Regular Articles |
Explaining intentional cultural destruction
in the Syrian Civil War
Luis Felipe Mantilla
School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, University of South Florida
Zorana Knezevic
Independent Scholar
Abstract
Why, when, and where do participants in civil wars engage in intentional cultural destruction (ICD)? Focusing on
the case of ISIS in Syria, our article examines how ideological and strategic considerations intersect to shape
ICD campaigns. We propose that ideologically motivated combatants rely on ICD as a form of collective
violence aimed at reinforcing territorial control, and hypothesize that ICD events are most likely in areas where
a group is actively contesting territory. Using an original dataset that combines data on ICD events in Syria with
measures of combatant control, we conduct a quantitative analysis of the main factors contributing to the
incidence of ISIS-inflicted ICD across Syria’s governorates and over time. We rely on panel regressions to assess
the importance of territorial control relative to other prominent factors contributing to ICD, such as the
presence of internationally recognized cultural sites and the share of ethno-religious minorities. We find that
the dynamics of combatant control play a central role in accounting for the distribution of ISIS-inflicted ICD
events in Syria.
Keywords
civil war, intentional cultural destruction, ISIS, Islamic State, Syria
Introduction
In late June, 2015, the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria (ISIS), also known as Islamic State (IS), Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), or Daesh after its
Arabic acronym, began a campaign of cultural destruc-
tion in the Tadmur district of Syria’s Homs governorate.
Its target was the ancient city of Palmyra, a large complex
of millennia-old ruins recognized as a World Heritage
site by UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scien-
tific and Cultural Organization. ISIS, which had gained
control of Palmyra and its surrounding territory during
the previous months, began to destroy prominent fea-
tures piecemeal and in spectacular fashion, recording and
broadcasting its actions. These ev ents, parts of which
were re-broadcast by a broad array of global news
agencies, shocked audiences worldwide. Together with
its grisly public executions and systematic targeting of
religious minorities, ISIS’s campaign against irreplace-
able cultural heritage became one of its defining attri-
butes for publics in Europe and North America. Yet,
dramatic though they were, the attacks against Palmyra
were only a small fraction of the many incidents of inten-
tional cultural destruction perpetrated by ISIS during
Syria’s civil war. The group regularly destroyed or van-
dalized museums, shrines, mosques, churches, statues,
and graveyards, as well as archeological sites, as part of
its violent campaign in Syria.
Corresponding author:
lfm1@usf.edu
Journal of Peace Research
2022, Vol. 59(4) 562–576
ªThe Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/00223433211039093
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