The Cyprus Crisis: The Causes Of The Cyprus Island

Cyprus Island has hit the world headlines several times because of the violent troubles that broke out there for the past several decades. The conflicts in the island have cost thousands of lives that have been lost excuse of Turkey's invasions and power games. The consequences can be felt even today, and Greek and Turkish Cypriots refuse to let go of the traumatic memories. The essay focuses on the history of the Cyprus Island, why it remains divided and why the conflicts refuse to dissolve.
Background of the Cyprus conflict During the First World War, the Cyprus Island was annexed by United Kingdom and it was agreed that Cyprus belonged to United Kingdom in 1923 (Zeka 145). The Greek Cypriots later struggled against British rule which

External factors include the selfish motives of the British and its divide-and-rule policy and the interventions of foreign powers. Internal causes include the nationalism of both Turkish and Greek Cypriots and bad decisions taken under Greek/Turkish-Cypriot leaderships (Hadjipavlou 353). Other factors include Turkey/Greece’s expansionism and involvement of Greece and Turkey. The religious and cultural differences between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and their social and economic inequalities only added to the issues. Separate educational systems and lack of communication between the two communities only deepened the rift and built up mistrust. Today, the island remains divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. It is true that the situation is not so volatile because of the efforts being made by the US and the U.N. negotiators as asserted by Zeka (151).However, the negotiations and talks between the leaders of Greek and Turkish factions remain futile. There exists an appropriate environment for strengthening of a culture of conflict, mistrust, and suspicion as the Greek Cypriots run the Republic of Cyprus. They look at Turkey as a constant threat. While the majority of the Turkish-Cypriot community voted in favor of the Annan Plan, the Greek-Cypriot community voted against it (Hadjipavlou 151). The society remains deeply divided with police checkpoints and barbed wires that prevent freedom of ideas and building of

Several internal and external factors only increased the deep-rooted conflicts that became complicated and multifaceted. Cyprus conflict resolution efforts would mean to make serious florets to bring those parties together, acknowledge the past atrocities on each group and convey a universal narrative to the current and future generations to encourage peaceful solutions. Cyprus conflict could be resolved only under an ideal condition which sees Greek and Turkish Cypriots giving up their nationalism and communalism to build a coherent