The Reunification of Cyprus: Plausible but not Probable

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In 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech in Illinois at a Republican State Convention. Within his speech were the words, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." This speech referred to the differences among the North and South over the issue concerning slavery. He continued, “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently,” 8 if the two halves do not come to agreement as one. The United States would not be able to be a prosperous country until there is unity. A strong difference within a country does not make for stability, no matter if it concerns slavery, strong religious differences, or ethnicities. The latter is certainly as issue today concerning many countries.

Throughout history, difficulties are seen between the mismatching of ethnicities with country borders, including countries such such Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. 6,7 This causes competition and conflict between the two ethnic groups, which leads to instability of the government if both groups cannot be equally represented. Just as the North and South could not be represented equally as one United States of America with conflicting views on slavery, it is difficult to equally represent each part of a strong ethnically diverse country. Another example of this conflict is the island of Cyprus. While it would be convenient to refer to it as the country of Cyprus, only half of the island is considered such by the rest of the world. Since 1974, Cyprus has been divided, Turkish Cypriots in the north and Greek Cypriots in the South. On March 18, 2011 the leaders of Turkish Cyprus and Greek Cyprus met to talk about unification. 4 Despite the efforts, it can be argued that while reunification might seem plausible, it is not probable.

The difference b...

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...sored Talks on Reunification." UN News Service. UN News Centre, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 May 2011. .

5 Hanes, Samuel. 2011. "Europe." World Geography (class). University of Maine, Orono.

6 Hanes, Samuel. 2011. "South Asia." World Geography (class). University of Maine, Orono.

7 Hanes, Samuel. 2011. "Southwest Asia and North Africa." World Geography (class). University of Maine, Orono.

8 "Lincoln's House Divided Speech." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, 2005. Web. 19 May 2011. .

9 Moran, Michael. Cyprus: A European Anomaly. Istambul Kulture University, 2010. Print.

10 Zaphiris, Panayiotis. "Cyprus History." Kypros-Net: "The World Of Cyprus" Cyprus Tourism Organization. Web. 23 May 2011. .

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