ABSTRACT
The two Iberian states, Spain and Portugal, lagged behind many other European nations in modernization. Liberalization of the governments in the Iberian states made them more acceptable as military and economic allies of other Western European governments. In 1986, after years of negotiation, promises, and hesitations, Spain and Portugal became the eleventh and twelfth members of the European Economic Community. In some instances, it has brought diversion of funds and efforts to military support of nationalist quarreis, as in the Aegean states. The Turkish government considered that it could best protect the country's interests by remaining neutral. This was especially true because both Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics had designs on Turkey's independence. The Republic of Cyprus administers the Greek portion of the island, and it is internationally recognized as the legitimate government of Cyprus. In terms of integration, the small states are in a peculiar position that forces them to take a stop-and-go pace.
