Position paper

Humanity has a decision to make; it needs to decide how to balance the rights of the inhabitants of cultural-heritage sites with the international interest of preserving the sites for future generations.

This is my thesis for my position paper, what I mean by this is that cultural and historical sites that are being preserved, need to be preserved for the sake of saving what these buildings and sites once stood, and not be changed in a way that only keeps the facade of the site. Take the "Old City" in Damascus, Syria, for example, it is the oldest inhabited city in the world, but the natives who live there are being pushed out to make way for shopping malls, boutiques, and fancy five-star hotels in what was once historically significant buildings. Not only are people losing their homes, but the history behind these old and beautiful sites is being lost.

This is a decision not to be made lightly or for the sake of making a few more dollars. Preserving these sites with future generations in mind has to be carefully considered so the site is not ruined in its renovation or preservation. A choice has to be made, however, and soon, because some of these sites will not be around for future generations to even see.