SCIENCE SCOPE

摘要

Archaeologists are urging their colleagues to "resist any attempts by the military and governments to be co-opted in any planned military operation" in Iran, a stance that some academics say is potentially disastrous. Last week, the World Archaeological Congress (WAC) in Dublin passed a resolution warning that a conflict in Iran would have "catastrophic consequences for millions of people and will seriously endanger the cultural heritage of Iran and the Middle East in general." But the prohibition on providing governments with advice or expertise is "misguided and naive," says Lawrence Rothfield, a cultural policy professor at the University of Chicago in Illinois. Rothfield and others note that input from U.S. experts prior to the Iraq war in 2003 reduced the damage done to that country's rich archaeological past. Acknowledging the rift, WAC President Claire Smith said that the resolution was passed by the group's assembly but is not a formal position of the organization.