This article seeks to contribute to the study surrounding documentation and the illicit trade in cultural property by examining the uses of photography by the international community. Popular and academic literature, news reports, and online databases reveal three primary and interconnected relationships that exist between photography and the trade of cultural heritage. This article presents photography as, first, an aid for the protection and identification of cultural heritage and, second, as a form of evidence to support an ownership claim by a country calling for repatriation.

The conservation of historic buildings depends on their physical maintenance as much as it depends upon their protection against external threats resulting from economic forces, the political climate, and human interference. Although physical conservation is what keeps the buildings standing, protecting buildings from these external threats can be considered more important because, without such protection, the buildings might not survive for any maintenance to be performed. To achieve the envisaged protection, proper management techniques are required. This article draws management inspirations from the unique and long-enduring tradition of the Islamic waqf, as practiced in the historic Stone Town of Zanzibar, now a World Heritage Site. The structure of waqf management is examined, along with aspects of finance and building maintenance. It was found that the ability of a management system to evolve according to prevailing conditions can be an effective shield against the external threats mentioned here.

This article situates the discussion of illicit trafficking in antiquities in the context of the relationship between the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security. The main argument is that U.S. cultural heritage policy is part of a broader agenda of political discourse that links matters of heritage to wider concerns of security. If the underlying goal of the U.S. State Department is mutual understanding through open dialogue, how can initiatives that focus on the criminal networks and security, efforts tackled by the Department of Homeland Security, contribute to building a positive image for the United States abroad? Here I explore strategic aspects of U.S. cultural policies and federally supported programs aimed at mitigating against the illicit trade in antiquities as part of building and maintaining cultural relations.

Traditional culture and marine ecosystems are two important resources that are disappearing at alarming rates worldwide. Islands are places where culture and the marine environment are intertwined and offer the best locales to address this threat. Disasters such as shipwrecks and oil spills damage both culture and the environment, yet the legal system does not permit full recovery. This research advances a new tort theory of cultural and ecosystem damage to compensate victims in marine damage cases. Specifically this research investigates theories of recovery in the Federated States of Micronesia since Micronesia is in an ideal position to recognize this new damage theory. Micronesia can help establish precedents that other jurisdictions can follow to help preserve the culture and the marine ecosystems upon which they rely.