The international implications of the 1974 Cyprus crisis

Abstract

Cyprus is intrinsically an inconsequential micro-state, but its geo-strategic location has made it disproportionately vital in world politics. It is an island permanently disabled by its special vulnerability to foreign manipulation and intervention. As a chronic international dispute, the Cyprus conflict of the last twenty-five years has been analyzed from various perspectives, by academics, journalists, politicians, diplomats and strategists. However, most serious studies produced to date have concentrated on one particular facet of the conflict, thus by-passing efforts to understand its labyrinthine interlocking aspects. The major works have focussed on themes such as the Cyprus conflict and Greece, Turkey; the United Nations; the Su p erpowers;Britai n; International Law; Political Geography; Constitutional- ism; Nationalism. These works have helped to interpret factors of primary importance from the various phases of the dispute. But the developments of the 1970s, culminating in the 1974 crisis and its subsequent international repercussions, have resulted to date in only a small number of scholarly works ; and despite the far reaching international implications of the 1974 developments, most contemporary studies have continued to analyze various crucial 4 ( 11) individual factors, bypassing a broad international s tudy . The present thesis will constitute a systematic attempt to help close this gap by developing a "macro" view of the international implications of the Cyprus conflict with special reference to the 1974 crisis and its aftermath. Particular emphasis will be placed on the linkage between the local, regional and global actors and determinants of the dispute. In order to present a critical perspective, the study will examine not only the developments since 1974, but every major international crisis over Cyprus since its emergence as an international dispute in 1954 . Within its purview the thesis will also explore a number of issues that have not been adequately discussed in relation to the Cyprus conflict, from the general, such as Detente, World Order, Strategic Doctrines, Crisis Management, to the very specific, such as NATO, the Commonwealth, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Islamic Conference, the EEC, the US Arms Embargo. With the dispute still dangerously unresolved, most of the governments involved have imposed very strict guidelines on the availability of documents. In particular, secrecy has surrounded documents that deal with the July-August 1974 Cyprus crisis. Dr Kissinger’s refusal to agree to a US Congressional Committee request to hand over State Department documents on the subject of Cyprus, resulted in his being charged with contempt of Congress. However, for numerous reasons of internal security and foreign policy, the governments of Greece, Cyprus and Turkey have been equally reluctant to release any documents related to the 1974 crisis. The author was able to partially overcome this methodological problem by interviews with key policy makers, diplomats, politicians and government officials, during a field trip to the United States, Greece and Cyprus (both sectors). The interviews were useful supplementary material to the analysis of the written sources which were the cornerstone of research for this thesis. Monitoring of primary documents such as US Conggressional Hearings, House of Commons Reports, UN debates and reports, was carried out. Analysis was also made of secondary material such as newspapers, academic articles and monographs from Greek and English original material, and Turkish sources in translation. In areas where it was not possible to fully document arguments, a more general perspective was given. There are still points which are not clear and which will remain contentious until the relevant information is put forward either by governments or the responsible decision makers. The thesis is divided into seven chapters which in turn are split in two parts. The first part consists of chapters I to III, which analyze the Cyprus conflict from its pre-independence international setting to the succession of crises that preceded the 1974 crisis. The section provides a macro-historical perspective that critically examines the causes of the various crises, with particular emphasis being placed on analysing the role of the guarantor powers and the involvement of other foreign powers and organisations. These chapters are necessary background, to acquiring an understanding of the set of events that led to the July-August 1974 imbroglio. The second part consists of chapters iv to vii and deals with the chain of international developments sparked off by the crisis. Chapter four will seek to explain the reasons for the failure of Kissinger crisis diplomacy.The next two chapters concentrate on analysing the profound effects of the to the Turkey. underta peacefu the crisis had on the defence and foreign policies states involved, from the Greek withdrawal from NATO imposition of the American arms embargo against Finally chapter 7 will examine the actions ken by international bodies in their search for a 1 settlement. Show more