The Cyprus Problem

James Ker-Lindsay is the Eurobank EFG Senior Research Fellow on the Politics of South East Europe at the London School of Economics. He is the author of Crisis and Conciliation: A Year of Rapprochement Between Greece and Turkey and EU Accession and UN Peacemaking in Cyprus.

• Introduction ; Social and Historical Background ; What and where is Cyprus? ; Who are the Greek Cypriots? ; Who are the Turkish Cypriots? ; What other communities live on the island? ; Who ruled Cyprus in the past? ; How did Cyprus become a part of the Ottoman Empire and what were its effects? ; When and why did Cyprus come under British control? ; What were Enosis and the Megali Idea? ; How did British rule develop in Cyprus? ; What was EOKA campaign and how did it develop? ; Was the EOKA uprising anti-Turkish? ; How did Britain respond to the uprising? ; What were the Zurich-London Agreements and why did they emerge? ; How did the 1960 Constitution divide powers between the communities? ; Who and what are the Guarantor Powers? ; What sort of military presence were the Guarantor Powers granted on the island? ; Constitutional Collapse, 1960-1974 ; What did the two communities think of their new state? ; How did the constitution break down? ; What were the 13 constitutional amendments proposed by Makarios? ; How did fighting start between the two communities in 1963, and was it planned? ; Did the Turkish Cypriot leave the government or were they forced out? ; How did the UN establish a peacekeeping presence on the island? ; Why is UN Security Council Resolution 186 so important? ; What was the Acheson Plan? ; How did the UN Mission of Good Offices emerge? ; What led to the Greek military coup in Cyprus in 1974? ; How did the Turkish invasion happen? ; Was the Turkish invasion legal and was it a conspiracy? ; A DIVIDED ISLAND, 1974 ; What were the effects of the invasion on the two communities? ; What were the High Level Agreements? ; When and why did the Turkish Cypriot unilaterally declare independence? ; What was the 'Draft Framework Agreement'? ; What was the 'Set of Ideas'? ; What was the Loizidou case? ; How did Cyprus become a candidate for EU membership? ; What was the Turkish response to the EU decision to accept Cyprus as a candidate? ; How did the EU accession affect the reunification talks? ; Why was the Green Line opened? ; How did the final version of the Annan Plan emerge? ; What did the Annan Plan propose? ; What support did the proposals receive? ; Why did the Greek Cypriot oppose the Annan Plan? ; What were the consequences of the vote for the two sides? ; Should Cyprus have been allowed to join the European Union still divided? ; What was the July 2006 agreement? ; How did new talks emerge in 2008? ; The Key Issues ; What is meant by a bizonal, bicommunal federation? ; What does 'political equality' mean in terms of a solution? ; What sort of federal system and governmental structure do the sides want? ; Will the Republic of Cyprus continue to exist after a settlement? ; Will the territory of the states correspond to the current division of the island? ; How will property issues be addressed? ; Will there be freedom of movement and settlement across the island? ; Will all Turkish settlers have to leave the island? ; Will the Treaties of Guarantee and Alliance continue? ; What assurances will exist that an agreement be implemented? ; Will Britain have to give up its military bases as part of a settlement? ; What will be the relationship between Cyprus and the EU? ; How will the economic aspects of a solution be managed? ; Current and Future Settlement Efforts ; Will the UN retain responsibility for peacemaking and peacekeeping? ; What part does the UN Security Council play in settlement efforts? ; What is the 'European Solution' to the Cyprus Problem? ; Has EU accession changed the parameters of a solution? ; Is a settlement linked to Turkey's EU membership? ; What role does Greece play in settlement efforts? ; Can the current status quo continue indefinitely? ; Will future settlement efforts be based on a federal solution? ; Could a solution be based on a confederation or a unitary state? ; Are enosis or taksim still possible options? ; Could the TRNC be recognized? ; Is formal partition a 'fair and viable' solution? ; Suggestions for Further Reading