It is like deja vu all over again

According to recent articles in The Wall Street Journal (“Iraq Conflict Menaces Heritage Sites”, by Matt Bradley, June 28-29, 2014 and “Creating New Monuments Men”, by Melik Kaylan, July 3, 2014), Iraq’s museums and monuments are once again in danger of destruction. This time it is by insurgents of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) who have issued a decree saying that any and all sites and objects that veer from the dictates of Islamic law are to be destroyed. It was just eleven years ago in 2003 that Iraq’s cultural heritage was imperilled during the U.S. led invasion. Unfortunately, to quote Yogi Berra, “it is like deja vu all over again”.