Chapter 8
Greece, Turkey and Cyprus
Nathalie Tocci
Greece, Turkey and Cyprus
• From Ottoman Empire to Independence
and Conflict
• Turkey’s Rocky Road to Democracy
• Domestic Politics and Institutions
• Foreign Policy in the Eastern
Mediterranean
Introduction
• Greece, Turkey and Cyprus born out of
the Ottoman Empire
• Rough paths to democracy
• Relations between the three, and with
EU, are crucial to their external affairs
From Ottoman Empire to
Independence and Conflict
• Greece establishes independence 1829
• Greek military campaign 1920-2
• Turkey emerged in 1923 out of the Greek-Turkish
War
• Cyprus divides between Greece and Turkey
• 1944-9 – Greek Civil War
• 1960 – Cyprus becomes independent bi-communal
Republic (collapses 1963)
• 1967-74 – Greek dictatorship
• 1974 – Greek junta targets Cyprus, prompting own
downfall
• 1975 – Hellenic Republic created
Turkey’s Rocky Road to Democracy
• Turkey created 1923 by Atatürk
• Kemalist vision:
– western, stable, homogenous nation-state
– Blend of westernization, secularism,
nationalism, statism, populism
• Challenges to Turkish state:
– Kurdish separatism
– Political Islam
Domestic Politics and Institutions:
post-1974 Greece
• Parliamentary democracy
• Party system centred around New
Democracy and PASOK
• Tradition of strong state, clientelism and
weak civil society
• Reforms since late 1980s have created
stable 2-party system, civil society and
sub-state level government
Domestic Politics and Institutions:
Republic of Turkey
• One-party system (Republican People’s Party
(CHP)) until 1946
• Democrat Party (DP) legalised in 1946
• Both Kemalist moderate parties
• Turbulent development of party system, due
to periodic military rule and outlawing of
parties
• Post-1961: Justice Party (ex-DP) vs. CHP
• Post-1983: dominance of Motherland Party
(neo-liberal) emerges
• 2002: AKP (Justice and Development Party)
(moderate Islam) vs. CHP
Domestic Politics and Institutions:
Greek Cyprus
• Presidential executive
• All parties committed to reunification,
repatriation and Turkish withdrawal
• Divide between Greek Cypriot
nationalists and Cypriot nationalists
Domestic Politics and Institutions:
Turkish Cyprus
• Semi-presidential executive
• Political unity around call for political
equality with Greek Cypriots, autonomy
for Turkish Cypriots, continued role for
Turkey
• Divide between nationalists and centreleft/liberals
Foreign Policy in the Eastern
Mediterranean
• Since 1975 Greek foreign policy has
changed dramatically
• Turkey has close, but problematic, ties
with West and Europe
• North-South conflict is key factor in
Cypriot foreign policy in both
communities