ABSTRACT
Foreword by the editors of the Greek Review of Social Research
For the past quarter of a century the Cyprus Question has been one of the most important issues in Greek politics. Indeed at certain critical junctures this problem had a determining impact on the course of Greek political history. This has become abundantly clear since the dramatic events of the summer of 1974: the relentless search for a “solution” to the Cyprus problem not only contributed decisively to the advent of the military dictatorship in 1967 but it also was one of the decisive factors which led to its disintegration seven years later in the wake of its fatal adventure in Cyprus. Developments since the collapse of the junta and the return of parliamentary government in Greece have made it increasingly apparent that the future of democracy in this country will be once again closely connected with the evolution of the Cyprus problem and its ramifications on the foreign relations of Greece.
Besides this critical importance for Greek politics the fate of Cyprus especially in its current phase demands attention on its own merit. The intense suffering of the people of Cyprus calls urgently for clarification of the processes that led up to their tragedy. In addition the Cyprus affair can be very instructive concerning the nature of contemporary international politics in general and power configurations in the Middle East in particular. The turn of events in Cyprus since the summer of 1974 also poses, with great urgency, the problem of survival of smaller nations in the contemporary international system. The concreteness with which this problem was posed in Cyprus, has turned the cause of the island and its people not only into a challenge to the conscience of the world but also into a testing ground for all those institutions and values which embody humanity’s best hopes.
The above are just a few hints at the enormity of the problem of Cyprus and the consequent need of enlightened discussion, information and awareness about all its dimensions. The current crisis and the debates over possible settlements have underlined the necessity of a better understanding of the problem if the errors of omission and commission of the past are to be avoided. As a contribution in this direction we present in this chapter an essay by two political scientists working in American Universities, on the ethnic conflict in Cyprus. Inadequate knowledge or disregard of the real issues in this conflict has led Cyprus from one tragedy to the next. We hope that the substantive information and interpretative arguments presented in this well-documented chapter will stimulate interest in this grave problem by placing it in its proper perspective.
THE EDITORS
