Chapter 8 Greece, Turkey and Cyprus

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Chapter 8Greece, Turkey and Cyprus

• Nathalie Tocci

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Greece, Turkey and Cyprus

• From Ottoman Empire to Independence and Conflict
• Turkeys Rocky Road to Democracy
• Domestic Politics and Institutions
• Foreign Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean

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Introduction

• Greece, Turkey and Cyprus born out of the Ottoman
  Empire
  
• Rough paths to democracy
• Relations between the three, and with EU, are
  crucial to their external affairs

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From Ottoman Empire to Independence and Conflict

• Greece establishes independence 1829
• Greek military campaign 1920-2
• Turkey emerged in 1923 out of the Greek-Turkish
  War
  
• Cyprus divides between Greece and Turkey
• 1944-9 Greek Civil War
• 1960 Cyprus becomes independent bi-communal
  Republic (collapses 1963)
  
• 1967-74 Greek dictatorship
• 1974 Greek junta targets Cyprus, prompting own
  downfall
  
• 1975 Hellenic Republic created

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Turkeys Rocky Road to Democracy

• Turkey created 1923 by Atatürk
• Kemalist vision
• western, stable, homogenous nation-state
• Blend of westernization, secularism, nationalism,
  statism, populism
  
• Challenges to Turkish state
• Kurdish separatism
• Political Islam

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Domestic Politics and Institutions post-1974
Greece

• Parliamentary democracy
• Party system centred around New Democracy and
  PASOK
  
• Tradition of strong state, clientelism and weak
  civil society
  
• Reforms since late 1980s have created stable
  2-party system, civil society and sub-state level
  government

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Domestic Politics and Institutions Republic of
Turkey

• One-party system (Republican Peoples Party
  (CHP)) until 1946
  
• Democrat Party (DP) legalised in 1946
• Both Kemalist moderate parties
• Turbulent development of party system, due to
  periodic military rule and outlawing of parties
  
• Post-1961 Justice Party (ex-DP) vs. CHP
• Post-1983 dominance of Motherland Party
  (neo-liberal) emerges
  
• 2002 AKP (Justice and Development Party)
  (moderate Islam) vs. CHP

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Domestic Politics and Institutions Greek Cyprus

• Presidential executive
• All parties committed to reunification,
  repatriation and Turkish withdrawal
  
• Divide between Greek Cypriot nationalists and
  Cypriot nationalists

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Domestic Politics and Institutions Turkish Cyprus

• Semi-presidential executive
• Political unity around call for political
  equality with Greek Cypriots, autonomy for
  Turkish Cypriots, continued role for Turkey
  
• Divide between nationalists and
  centre-left/liberals

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Foreign Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean

• Since 1975 Greek foreign policy has changed
  dramatically
  
• Turkey has close, but problematic, ties with West
  and Europe
  
• North-South conflict is key factor in Cypriot
  foreign policy in both communities