Cyprus: Ethnic Political Counterpoints

This book investigates the current political challenges confronting the Greek and Turkish communities on Cyprus in the resolution of the ongoing tensions that have separated the island. After 1963, Greek Cypriots sought to marginalize, terrorize, and subject Turkish Cypriots, thereby eliminating intercommunal dialogue and inhibiting the creation of a State. A revitalization of traditional cultural, political, and religious values, bolstered by security threats, gave rise to Greco-Turkish fears and suspicions. The concept of a unified Cypriot identity was eroded as each community articulated the ethnic and national priorities of their motherlands, Greece and Turkey. Currently, separate political institutions govern the de facto partitioned island. Un-sponsored negotiations for a comprehensive plan for a resolution to this problem have so far failed to achieve results. In 2003, the UN brokered a peace settlement to create a United Cyprus Federation. It is author H. Ibrahim Salih's view that refusal to accede to the UN's plan will undermine the effort to build a better future for all Cypriots.