The 1974 crisis over Cyprus : foreign will or ethnic conflict?

• Main Author: Vlachos, Ioannis
• Other Authors: Abenheim, Donald
• Published: Monterey California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/3478

This thesis presents a study of the crisis over Cyprus that lasted many years and concluded with the bloody events of the summer of 1974. The intervention of the military dictatorship from Greece and the subsequent Turkish invasion may have been the culmination of this crisis, but this thesis will show, contrarily to common perceptions, the causes of the crisis were not primarily a function of ethnic hatred. This thesis concludes that the reasons for the conflict are found mainly in the actions of the international powers and the consequences of the Cold war. Based on these findings the thesis explains the unsuccessful efforts of the United Nation to find a compromise and a solution that is accepted by the people of Cyprus. Lastly, the thesis outlines a plan that could be approved by all Cypriots and could offer unity and stability in Cyprus, based on the mandates and the protection of international organizations.