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POLITICA >>Chypre | ||||
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Drevet, J-F.
2000. Chypre
en Europe. L'Harmattan, Paris, France. Rating: JJ About the Author: Jean-François Drevet works for the European Commission in Brussels. Books by
the same author: Sucre
Amer; Cent Portes de l'Amérique Latine. |
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Review The book offers a fresh perspective on the Cyprus problem. It offers a clear and detailed account of the history of the region, and the succession of powers that ruled the island since the Hellenic age. What is different about Drevet's book is his views on the role of the Cypriot orthodox church in the latter half of the 20th century. He accuses them of sabotaging favourable independence agreements, such as the Winchester Constitution, because of the narrow-minded objective of asserting its absolute power over Cyprus. Indeed, he convincingly argued that the Church used the issue of Enosis (unification with Greece) only to undermine the Cypriot communists (AKEL). Indeed, the Communists would have created a modern, secular state, in which the influence of the Church would have inevitably waned. Of course, others are also to blame, such as the colonial power Britain, which was loath to abandon such a strategically-placed colony, and brutally repressed the independence campaign. Once again, we see an island whose destiny was never really in the hands of its own people, but was decided by Greece, Britain and Turkey. This situation is a major cause of the intercommunal violence following independence, and ultimately of the 1974 partition. Thus, Cyprus never attained true independence. The treacherous role of Grivas, former independence leader who subverted the independence movement (EOKA) into a terrorist organisation devoted to terrorising Turkish Cypriots and assassinating communists, is also exposed. Drevet then examines the role of Archbishop Makarios, first president of an "independent Cyprus". He considers that one of Makarios' biggest strategic mistakes was not to join NATO. Far from granting Cyprus more independence, this served only to anger the USA, which would prove crucial in later years. Fearful of losing vital strategic positions in the region, the USA was then more favourable to the invasion of the island by NATO member Turkey. Drevet then continues with a detailed account of the events leading to the 1974 invasion, including the dramatic events of 1972 when future president Clerides had the opportunity to sign a reasonable agreement, but which Makarios rejected. Drevet also reminds us that Rauf Dektash, the leader of theCypriot Turks to this day, is an inextricable part of the problem, in which he has been involved since the 1970s. Had Dektash served the Turkish Cypriot interests rather than Ankara, an agreement would have been possible and averted the invasion. As for the invasion itself, it is a humanitarian nightmare. The Turkish army killed thousands of civilians, ravaged the island with a heavy bombing campaign that was totally unnecessary, and displaced nearly one third of the population. Following these events, Drevet describes the influx of Anatolian migrants from Turkey to Northern Cyprus, which is altering the balance of power in favour of the Turks on the island, and making a solution more and more difficult. After comparing and contrasting the economic destinies of both sides after partition, he moves on to potential solutions to the problem, which is of renewed interest since the recent Annan plan. All in all, Drevet has written a very detailed reference book, useful to understand the complexity of the Cyprus problem, and to envisage potential outcomes. |
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