Collateral Vandalism

Abstract

This chapter focuses on what we have chosen to call ‘collateral vandalism’, a notion which can be further subdivided into ‘junking’, ‘collecting’ and ‘looting’ (cf. Cohen, 1973). The term ‘collateral’ is derived from the medieval Latin word collateralis, which means ‘parallel’ or ‘additional’. At the heart of the notion of ‘collateral damage’ is the issue of intentionality. Collateral damage is unintentional in the sense that it is incidental to the commission of another act. The term has been controversially used in military contexts as a euphemism for civilian casualties and has been defined by US Air Force documentation as ‘unintentional damage or incidental damage affecting facilities, equipment, or personnel, occurring as a result of military actions directed against targeted enemy forces or facilities. Such damage can occur tofriendly, neutral, and even enemy forces’ (USAF Intelligence Targeting Guide, 1998).