Western countries have proven to be powerless in the face of the most recent attacks committed by ISIS against humanity's cultural heritage sites in the Middle East and North Africa. The perpetration of these terrorist attacks forms part of a global strategy to destabilize the region by striking key infrastructure of the occupied territories. This new threat, defined by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova as “cultural cleansing”, adds to the mosaic of the terrorist organization's infamous modus operandi.

Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, UNESCO deplores ‘cultural cleansing’ of Iraq as armed extremists ransack Mosul libraries, UN News Center, 3 February 2015 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49982#.WLArLPkrKUk.