Michalis Stavrou Michael, Resolving the Cyprus Conflict: Negotiating History

Michalis Stavrou Michael, Resolving the Cyprus Conflict: Negotiating History

The Cyprus issue is one of the few ever-lasting international disagreements inherited from the Cold War era. For many analysts the Cyprus dispute constitutes the central point of the Turco-Greek disagreements. Despite the numerous proposals for settlement of the issue in the last five decades, the Cyprus issue remains unresolved and still constitutes the most crucial aspect of Turkey-Greece relations. This book addresses a number of proposals dedicated to the settlement of the Cyprus issue in the post-1974 period that constitutes the latest manifestation of the Cyprus problem. The author seeks answers for the critical questions related to the failure of the settlement proposals: Why has the resolution of the Cyprus problem eluded the various parties and mediators involved since 1974?, Why is the small island-state still physically divided, despite decades of persistent efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement? Additionally he seeks lessons from the issue: What can Cyprus teach us about the nature of protracted conflicts and ways of resolving them?