Cyprus: Case Study about a Failure of Ethno-national Understanding (Minderheiten und Minderheitenpolitik in Europa)

Product Description The Cyprus conflict has got new prominence since the EU decided in 1997 to accept the Republic’s application for full membership as a (legally) unified state at the Luxembourg summit. This analysis demonstrates that today, the core of the issue is not re-unification. It is a problem of security of those concerned, that is, the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. However, to achieve this target, a process ofde-securitisation of the political debate is needed, especially in Turkey. The Greek Cypriots could contribute to such a process by renouncing the fictitious aim of unification. They would gain greatly by concentrating on achieving objectives like indemnisation and de-militarisation of the island, leaving the Turkish Cypriots to aims and objectives which are determined by their own needs. About the Author The Author: Albert F. Reiterer, Scientific director of CIFEM – Carinthian Institute for Ethnic Minorities; lecturer of social sciences at the University of Vienna and Graz, published more than a dozen books dealing with ethnicity, nation-building, and comprehensive social analysis.