Cyprus: Domestic Ethnopolitical Conflict and International Politics

This article provides an essential background to the domestic setting of the conflict in Cyprus and some of its international repercussions. In doing so, emphasis is placed on the geographical, historical, social, cultural, institutional, and political roots of the conflict. The presentation and analysis of these aspects aims at examining the relationship between political division along ethnic lines and the generation and internationalization of the conflict. It places some emphasis on the factors that contributed to the maintenance and reinforcement of ethnic cleavages in a bicommunal society and the failure of the political system to counteract divisive forces.