Iraq has become the focus of so much of modern national and international politics that it's sometimes easy to overlook its importance in antiquity. This illustrates the value of that antiquity, from the perspective of history and religion, as well as the problems for preservation that have been created by modern-day politics. It also suggests that successful preservation efforts may help Iraq to one day build an economy that isn't exclusively dependent on oil.
Personally, I'm rooting for that to happen. And yet, given the inherent divisiveness of Iraq as a nation of competing nationalities, and the international lust for its oil, I'm inclined to think that the possibility of this happening is as fragile as the country's ancient monuments themselves.
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