| The
Cyprus Conflict
an educational Web site |
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| The Mediterranean
island of Cyprus has suffered a long history of foreign domination,
violence, and civil strife. Since the 1950s, when still a colony of
Britain, Cyprus has been a battleground between its two main
ethnic/religious populations---Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. The
history of the conflict includes a militant confrontation with British
imperialism, a set of treaties giving a limited form of independence, the
breakdown of that constitutional structure, ruthless meddling by the Greek
and Turkish "motherlands" and the major powers, a Greek coup d'etat
and the Turkish invasion that divided the island as it is today, and
fitful attempts to negotiate a just settlement---all set against a
background of communal violence, terrorism, and intimidation. Equally true, however, is a record of cooperation and peace between most Cypriots, and, since 1974, the growth of indigenous efforts across the lines of hostility to reconcile. The history of the Cyprus conflict is rarely recounted in a balanced, informed way. This Web site provides just such depth and balance. It lays out the history using original documents, scholarly treatments, and other resources. |
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