Information security has become a bit of a cat-and-mouse game between network

military advantage over the other side. For example, in Syria and Iraq, there are a lot of cultural heritage sites with locations that have valuable features like being ‘on high ground, at important intersections or crossroads, near water’ (Foradori and Rosa 2017, 156). It is no coincidence that these sites have such a convenient spot. Back in the days, the sites have been built for certain purposes and over time they have not lost this feature (Foradori and Rosa 2017, 156). Foradori and Rose use 11th century castle Crac de Chevallier, medieval Aleppo’s Citadel and third century A.D. Bosra Castle, all Syrian cultural heritage on the UNESCO list as examples, saying that their ‘offensive and defensive values’ in terms of military defense features ‘are as pertinent in the current conflicts as they were when first constructed, which is precisely why all the parties have continued to battle for control over them,’ (Forador and Rosa 2017, 156). So, if these sites are in hands of the ones fighting IS, IS will have a military disadvantage and it might help the Global Coalition fighting Islamic State.

To conclude, successful protection of cultural heritage from destruction by the Islamic State could help the Global Coalition in the fight against Islamic State. Firstly, it will affect IS’s money supply, especially as their capital is already in decline. This will limit their financial resources. Secondly, IS will be less able to express its power and ideology and recruit members if they are not able to lay their hands on cultural heritage anymore. Through socially mediated terrorism, IS could use images of the destruction of cultural heritage to spread fear among the world and reach and attract new members with their ideology. IS might shift to deeds in which they focus more on human casualties, but the images of these practices will be less distributed among the world, as it is too cruel to show in the media, disabling IS to spread their ideology and to expand their territory. Lastly, as many cultural heritage sites have a strategic military position, the side who possesses the sites will have an advantage over the other side. This meaning that if the cultural heritage sites will not come in possession of IS, the international coalition will have a military advantage over IS. If measures are being taken, this will thus cut financial resources, cut a way to globally express strength, spread ideology and recruit members and take away a military advantage.

This essay could be useful for the Global Coalition that wants to counter the actions and the expansion of Islamic State, as it could help the Global Coalition to reach their goal. Furthermore, it stresses the i