Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR

Military commanders face difficult choices. They must work out the best plan of action by weighing the costs and rewards of various alternatives. Typically, these factors involve military objectives and risks to civilians or soldiers. But sometimes, the value of cultural heritage also plays a role.

Imagine you have been deployed to help protect civilians against extremist insurgents. Your task is to defend a major religious site, as well as its staff and worshippers. The local population are adamant that the site should remain open. However, closing it would make it easier to defend and reduce the danger to civilians and your own soldiers. What would you do?

Now, imagine you were deciding where to position a temporary military base. Your logistics branch informs you of two possible sites. One is an open area, the other, near some ancient ruins. The second option would give you a better defensive position. Yet if the site was attacked, the archaeological remains could be damaged. Where do you build your base?

Finally, imagine a sniper is firing upon your unit from the tower of a temple. You could eliminate the sniper by shelling the tower. However, this would seriously damage the building and increase unrest amongst the local population. Alternatively, you could attempt to move onwards without returning fire, but this would put your unit in harm's way. What is the best strategy?

In each of these cases, military objectives must be weighed against the value of cultural heritage and the consequences of its destruction. There are no easy solutions.