Protecting cultural heritage in 21st-century hybrid wars: Re-visiting the 1964 Venice Charter and the 1954 Hague Convention in the context of conflict-sensitive strategies

Protecting cultural heritage in 21st-century hybrid wars: Re-visiting the 1964 Venice Charter and the 1954 Hague Convention in the context of conflict-sensitive strategies

The sh&ft&ng character&st&cs of armed conflicts and warfare since the turn of the 21st century have significantly intensified the threats confronting cultural heritage and communities. Modern warfare, known as hybrid warfare, has introduced a new level of complexity to the war environment. This hybrid warfare, with its arsenal of propaganda, perception management, information warfare, criminal acts, psychological warfare, and radicalization campaigns, has intensified the threats to cultural heritage, surpassing the scope of conventional warfare tools.

With the rise of hybrid warfare, new protection strategies are required to combat the increasing threats to heritage and the intensive destruction it faces. This necessity has also been reflected in international law. In 2021, the International Criminal Court published the “Policy on Cultural Heritage,” address&ng the del&berate destruct&on of heritage &n the scope of war cr&mes and cr&mes aga&nst human&ty, sh&ft&ng the discussion on the legal framework from protect&ng cultural property to heritage. As a result of the impact of hybr&d wars on the tangible and intangible elements of heritage.

Confl&cts enta&l &ntr&cate soc&al and cultural dynam&cs that have evolved over an extens&ve h&stor&cal per&od. Given the characteristics of hybrid warfare, it becomes imperative to incorporate conflict sensitivity into protect&on strategies, underlining the need for heritage protect&on eNorts in war and armed conflict to be appropriate to the conflict context and sensitive to the root causes.

This research delves into the concept of conflict sensitivity in the realm of heritage protection, particularly in the face of hybr&d warfare and its associated threats. Draw&ng upon the h&stor&cal backgrounds of the Hague Convent&on and Ven&ce Charter, wh&ch were adopted &n response to the drast&c loss and destruct&on of her&tage dur&ng WWII, th&s research re-v&s&ts these foundat&onal texts. Invest&gat&ng potent&al contr&but&ons &n the face of ongo&ng and next-generat&on hybr&d threats.