As the Triple Entente declared war on the
Ottoman Empire in 1914, the country of Cyprus was annexed by Britain. By 1955,
Greek Cypriots began guerrilla war against British rule, which resulted in
Cyprus gaining its independence after Greek and Turkish communities agreement
on the Treaty of Guarantee in 1960. This treaty grants Cyprus its independence
meanwhile giving Great Britain, Greece, and Turkey the right to intervene if
Cyprus does undertake its role not to participate in any political or economic
union with any state. Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus was alleged to have raised
fears in the Turkish community by proposing constitutional changes to the
treaty. Backed by military junta in Greece, a coup against Makarios was
successful (1974). Days after the successful coup, Turkey asserted Article IV
of the Treaty of Guarantee to invade the island of Cyprus. Turkish forces continue
to occupy a third of the island, enforcing a split between the north and south
along the “Green Line”. Talks have since then been continued to reconcile both
sides.
The Cypriot people have since been
furious with the outcome of the Treaty of Guarantee from its failed
implementation in 1960; the emotions continue to run high from the 2004
referendum election within the United Nations and in a recent talk taken place
in Davos, Switzerland, on January 21, 2016, in Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s
first joint meeting with the Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades and leader of
the Turkish Cypriot Community, Mustafa Akinci.
The Cypriot people display
resemblance of topics written by Bernard Mayer. In The Dynamics of Conflict, Mayer portrays a map in guidance of the
conflict process known as the Wheel of Conflict. Within the wheel of conflict,
he examines five factors, which three are relevant to this case: Emotions, History,
and Communication. Dealing with the intense emotions often associated with
conflict usually requires finding some opportunity to express and release
emotions and to experience someone else’s understanding and empathy (Mayer,
2012, 13). The emotions of the Cypriot people that want others to understand
include the feelings of betrayal, and anger and frustration.
Turkey brought about the feelings of
anger and frustration from the feeling of betrayal the Cypriot people possess.
Turkey invaded Cyprus under the fear of supposed concern that Archbishop
Makarios was proposing constitutional changes to the treaty. Acting in direct
accord of fear to illegally invade Cyprus would be in contrast to Mayer’s
thinking. A direct display of feelings can escalate a conflict (Mayer, 2012, 13).
Article IV of the Treaty of Guarantee states, “In the event of a breach of the
provisions of the present Treaty, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom
undertake to consult together with respect to the representations or measures
necessary to ensure observance of those provisions.” Turkey did not abide by
the article when it solely invaded Cyprus in 1974 dividing the country. This
act frustrated the Cypriot people whose response was, “Although Article Four of
the Treaty of Guarantee refers to the right of intervention, it does not refer
to military intervention for the simple reason that, according to the United
Nations Charter, no state has the right to intervene militarily in another
state without the consent of the UN Security Council.” The Cypriot people
believe their rights under the treaty have been violated. Some anger is also
placed towards Great Britain and Greece who did not intervene in stopping
Turkey during the invasion. The Cypriot people believe the key to successful
negotiations between Cyprus and Turkey remain with idea that Cyprus shall be
returned its land to the country. Turkey does not believe this should be done.
This yearning for the return of land is a sense of pride, which makes it
tougher for interveners to negotiate successfully. A challenge for interveners
in many conflicts is finding an adequate way to deal with the feelings of all
participants so that these are neither ignored nor allowed to escalate out of
control (Mayer, 2012, 14). This challenge of understanding the feeling of the
Cypriot people is a most difficult in the sense that they believe land was
stolen from them.
Conflict cannot be understood
independent of its historical context (Mayer, 2012, 14). The conflict and
emotions the Cypriot people face in the wake of the Turkish invasion are
explained by the country’s history. The island of Cyprus, for centuries, has
been under foreign rule. Receiving independence was the major contribution to
the country’s nationalism. Striping away this sense of nationalism has caused
the Cypriot people to become frustrated and betrayed by the acts taken of the
countries within the Treaty of Guarantee. When we try to understand a conflict
in isolation from its historical roots, we are sometimes baffled by the stubbornness
of the players or intractability of the issues (Mayer, 2012, 17). Understanding Cyprus’ history from being
subordinate to independent is immense understanding the emotions and context
behind the conflict.
Mayer
states that we are, “very imperfect communicators.” This imperfection has the
ability to generate conflict or exasperate it. Communication has played a role
with this treaty and conflict of Cyprus. The communication between the Cypriot
government and Turkey was a factor to the invasion of 1975. Turkey and Cyprus
did not communicate about the Archbishop’s proposed changes to the
constitution, and out of fear, Turkey’s action was to invade Cyprus and violate
Article IV of the treaty. Communication between Cyprus and the United Nations
on resolving this issue continued to the referendum vote of 2004 through the
present. Many factors contribute to communication problems (Mayer, 2012, 12).
He uses examples of culture, environment, and age amongst others. These three
examples are relevant in the Cyprus case. Since the Turkish invasion, Cyprus’
culture has changed due to the geographic shift in social and political terms.
Smaller cities became more populated allowing for the integration of the
people. Politics have also been affected as now many political campaigns target
newer issues that have been presented with the geographical shift of the
country. This integration of social and political culture has consequently
changed the environments of most of the country. Age has been a determining
factor as it was seen in the referendum vote of 2004 within the United Nations.
The majority of the people, who were older, influenced the younger age groups
(who were allowed to vote) in objecting the United Nation’s referendum vote
allowing for the emotional conflict between Cyprus and Turkey to stay relevant
in present and future negotiation talks.
Since the signing of the treaty and
the Turkish invasion, Cyprus has exhibited a variety of factors that are
present in Mayer’s guide to engagement and intervention. This conflict between
Cyprus and Turkey is ongoing, and talks between the Cypriot president and the
president of the Turkish-Cypriot community are in progress.
Bibliography
Treaty of Guarantee:
“Cyprus Profile – Timeline- BBC News.”
BBC News.
“Turkey Did Not Have a Right of Intervention in Cyprus.” Cyprus
Federation of America. http://www.cyprusfederation.org/?p=379 (February 22,
2016).
Mayer,
Bernard S. 2012. The Dynamics of Conflict: a Guide to Engagement and
Intervention. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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