The Normalisation Of Cyprus Partition Among Greek Cypriots

This book explores the basic dynamics that shaped the Cyprus problem, with a focus on recent decades. The author deals with the periods, nodal points and fields that produced the conditions for the normalisation of partition and also presents the Cyprus problem as viewed from the outside. The chapters approach Cyprus’ division in light of power relations in society, the interaction between the political elite and society, and discuss the political and ideological dynamics as manifested in the public sphere. While analysing primarily the Greek Cypriot community, the book also refers to parallel developments in the Turkish Cypriot and international communities, arguing that the normalisation of Cyprus’ partition is rooted in the political economy and political culture of Greek Cypriots. At the same time, from the perspective of the peace and reunification movement, this is an inherently contradictory and potentially unstable process that can be overturned. ‘Α remarkably thorough study focusing on nationalist narratives, political and media discourses and socio-economic structures in Cyprus and their impact on the formation and transformation of political identities since the 1950s. Unlike many other books on the issue, Ioannou analyses social and political developments in both the Greek-Cypriot and the Turkish-Cypriot communities. This approach sheds light on the internal reasons of the perpetuation of the island’s division, which the geopolitical and international relations approaches alone miss to grasp. Combining the analytical skills of a political scientist and his personal experience as an engaged citizen in favour of unification, Ioannou offers significant insight on a complex and traumatic conflict that remains one of Europe’s black spots.’ –Athena Skoulariki, Assistant Professor in Sociology of Communication, Discourse Analysis and Social Representations, University of Crete, Greece ‘The basic argument of the book is that the consolidation of partition was neither automatic nor happened behind the backs of Greek Cypriots. The very interesting and demythologising work of Gregoris Ioannou brings to light a hidden, but common secret of the Greek Cypriots.’ –Alexis Heraklides, Emeritus Professor of International Relations, Panteion University, Greece ‘Ioannou projects a multi-focal spotlight on the Cyprus problem, so as, at least for the careful reader, this becomes not only an interesting topic in itself, but, also a cognitive springboard from which to understand broader pathogenies of our common social and political life.’ –Seraphim Seferiades, Associate Professor in Political Science, Panteion University, Greece

This account of Turkish policy towards Cyprus since the 1950s was first published in Greece to considerable critical acclaim. What makes the book of such particular interest is the author's detailed study, often from primary sources, of Turkish ambitions to create a 'legal' basis for the Turkish Cypriots' demand for separate self-determination and sovereignty. The often painful consequences of cultivating mistrust between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot population are fully explained. The author also considers the implications of creating reunification of Cyprus as a bi-communal member state of the European Union, where the human rights of all Cypriots are fully safeguarded.

In today's world, the issue of Cyprus is notable for all the wrong reasons: because of the duration of the divisions in Cyprus itself between Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots (formalized since 1983 by a disputed international border across the island); because of the involvement of Greece and Turkey, for which the "hyphenated" Cypriot communities form proxy battalions; and because of the failure of the United Nations' longstanding efforts to resolve the conflict. Much of the discussion in the book revolves around the difficulty of producing viable constitutional and civic arrangements in an.

"[U]shers the reader into the complexities of the categorical ambiguity of Cyprus [and]... concentrates... on the Dead Zone of the divided society, in the cultural space where those who refuse to go to the poles gather." -- Anastasia Karakasidou, Wellesley College The volatile recent past of Cyprus has turned this island from the idyllic "island of Aphrodite" of tourist literature into a place renowned for hostile confrontations. Cyprus challenges familiar binary divisions, between Christianity and Islam, Greeks and Turks, Europe and the East, tradition and modernity. Anti-colonial struggles, the divisive effects of ethnic nationalism, war, invasion, territorial division, and population displacements are all facets of the notorious Cyprus Problem. Incorporating the most up-to-date social and cultural research on Cyprus, these essays examine nationalism and interethnic relations, Cyprus and the European Union, the impact of immigration, and the effects of tourism and international environmental movements, among other topics.

The year 2009 may well be a make-or-break year for the protracted Cyprus conflict. While strategic assessments and elite incentives bode cautiously well for a settlement, ultimately an agreement will have to be approved by the two Cypriot communities and above all it will have to be implemented by them on the ground. In view of the centrality of the people in this peace process, CEPS, in collaboration with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot partners, launched a project in late 2007 investigating, through successive opinion polls, what Cypriots think of each other, of the peace process and of possible solutions to the conflict. In this book the authors present the results of their second survey, conducted simultaneously in the southern and northern parts of the island in January and February 2009. It delves into the Cypriots' views on the thorniest questions of the conflict and assesses whether and how, once we leave the abstract level of labels and slogans and enter into the specifics of a package deal, convergence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots is possible.

The island of Cyprus has been bitterly divided for more than four decades. One of the most divisive elements of the Cyprus conflict is the writing of its history, a history called on by both communities to justify and explain their own notions of justice. While for Greek Cypriots the history of Cyprus begins with ancient Greece, for the Turkish Cypriot community the history of the island begins with the Ottoman conquest of 1571. The singular narratives both sides often employ to tell the story of the island are, as this volume argues, a means of continuing the battle which has torn the island apart, and an obstacle to resolution. Cyprus and the Politics of Memory re-orientates history-writing on Cyprus from a tool of division to a form of dialogue, and explores a way forward for the future of conflict resolution in the region.

"Reports and analyses the results of the first public opinion survey in Cyprus carried out by the Centre for European Policy Studies in collaboration with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot partners. In the new atmosphere of relaunched negotiations in 2008, this book investigates what Cypriots think of each other, of the peace process and of possible solutions to the conflict."--Publisher.

For nearly 60 years--from its uprising against British rule in the 1950s, to the bloody civil war between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in the 1960s, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in the 1970s, and the United Nation's ongoing 30-year effort to reunite the island--the tiny Mediterranean nation of Cyprus has taken a disproportionate share of the international spotlight. And while it has been often in the news, accurate and impartial information on the conflict has been nearly impossible to obtain. In The Cyprus Problem: What Everyone Needs to Know?, James Ker-Lindsay--recently appointed as expert advisor to the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Cyprus--offers an incisive, even-handed account of the conflict. Ker-Lindsay covers all aspects of the Cyprus problem, placing it in historical context, addressing the situation as it now stands, and looking toward its possible resolution. The book begins with the origins of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities as well as the other indigenous communities on the island (Maronites, Latin, Armenians, and Gypsies). Ker-Lindsay then examines the tensions that emerged between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots after independence in 1960 and the complex constitutional provisions and international treaties designed to safeguard the new state. He pays special attention to the Turkish invasion in 1974 and the subsequent efforts by the UN and the international community to reunite Cyprus. The book's final two chapters address a host of pressing issues that divide the two Cypriot communities, including key concerns over property, refugee returns, and the repatriation of settlers. Ker-Lindsay concludes by considering whether partition really is the best solution, as many observers increasingly suggest. Written by a leading expert, The Cyprus Problem brings much needed clarity and understanding to a conflict that has confounded observers and participants alike for decades. What Everyone Needs to Know? is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.