By Ronald J. McNamara, Policy Advisor Cyprus’ unique location at
the cultural crossroads of the eastern Mediterranean and
important trade routes between Europe and the Middle East and
beyond has shaped the island nation’s rich history. I recently
returned to Cyprus to assess developments as the 35th
commemoration of the Turkish invasion approaches and a
significant portion of the country remains under occupation.
Virtually every conversation during my visit, whether with
officials or private citizens, touched on some aspect of the
ongoing occupation of the country, the legacy of the 1974
invasion, or the prospects for a resolution of “the Cyprus
issue.” In a country with slightly less than a million people
covering an area slightly more than half the size of
Connecticut, one is hard-pressed to find a Greek Cypriot or
Turkish Cypriot family that has not been affected in one way or
another by the conflict and its lingering impact. While the
Cyprus conflict predated the 1975 signing of the Helsinki Final
Act, ma