Biography

Title: Turkish military intervention in Cyprus from a neoclassical perspective

Abstract:

Turkey’s military intervention in Cyprus on 20th July 1974 was in response to the Greek military junta’s attempted annexation of the island. The Turkish political elite identified a genuine threat to its national security and found itself at odds with the prospect of a Greek dominated Cypriot state. As a result, Turkey implemented one of its most ambitious and dangerous military interventions in the country’s recent history, which resulted in the partition of the island into two ethnically homogeneous zones and subsequently, the balance of power between Greece and Turkey vis-a vis Cyprus was maintained.

Efforts to resolve this long-standing problem since 1968, when intercommunal negotiations began have often been characterised by negotiation phases between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots which have ended in deadlock, due to the irreconcilable differences between the two communities.

Very little attention has been paid to the theoretical analysis of Turkey’s military intervention in Cyprus. This study aims to fill a significant gap in the literature by offering an in-depth theoretical analysis of Turkey’s role in the conflict over Cyprus. Through original empirical research, both documentary and interview-based this dissertation will shed new light on the dynamics, both at the unit and systemic level.

The study will test the relative explanatory power of a range of theoretical frameworks which attribute causal weight to very different variables. It will examine the impact of different levels of analysis (systemic and domestic) and the relationship between ideational and material factors in determining policy outcomes. It will argue that systemic level factors such as balance and power and balance of threat theories exacerbated internal dynamics such as nationalism to drive forward Turkish military intervention in Cyprus. Systemic level forces will have the greater influence over unit-level variables as it is the driving force behind Turkish nationalism.

Research Questions:

(1) What was the impact of Turkish nationalism, Turkish media on Turkish policy makers with regards to decision making on the Cyprus problem. 

(2) What was the impact of systemic level variables such as the balance of power and security dilemma on Turkish policymaking towards the Cyprus problem.

Supervisors: 

Prof. Chris Flood

Dr Roberta Guerrina