The Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus is the homeland of two distinct peoples: the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots. Their relationship is not one of a majority and minority, but one of equal partnership. The Turkish Cypriots speak Turkish, are Muslims and share the culture of their motherland, Turkey. The Greek Cypriots, on the other hand, speak Greek, are Orthodox Christians and profess the culture of their motherland Greece. After more than 300 years of Turkish rule, the island came under British influence in 1878, but sovereignty was formally transferred by Turkey to Britain in 1923. British colonial administration continued until 1960 when as a joint bi-communal state, the DRepublic of Cyprus was founded under international …show more content…
The brutality of Greek attacks was such that the Turkish Cypriot people in no less than 103 villages had to escape for their lives into the security of small enclaves scattered all over Cyprus and an extensive refugee problem was created as a result of Greek Cypriot attacks on Turkish Cypriots throughout the island. The Turkish Cypriots became virtual prisoners and hostages in their own land. The United Nations Secretary-General described this situation as a veritable siege. From 1964 until 1974, Turkish Cypriot people lived under difficult conditions in isolated enclaves, but they lived under their own rule. On 15 July 1974 Greece staged a coup in Cyprus with the aim of achieving ENOSIS. Turkey, one of the three guarantor states, called on Britain as the other guarantor for joint intervention under Article 4 of the Treaty of Guarantee. When Britain refrained, Turkey was compelled to intervene on her own, again in full accordance with the provisions of the said Treaty. Since then, peace and tranquility have prevailed on the island.
Division of the Island 1964
Turkish Cypriot families, forced to flee from their homes, withdrew into enclaves for mutual protection. This unprovoked Greek Cypriot use of force brought about the division of the island symbolized by the "Green line" in Nicosia. A joint
Amidst an interlude in the fierce struggle for power between the two dominant Greek poleis, Athens and Sparta, the Peloponnesian war, there was unrest. Despite the Peace of Nicias, belligerence between the two states did not cease, but rather took on a new face. While careful to remain within the parameters set several years before in the peace treaty, Athens moved cautiously, but aggressively in establishing alliances, albeit coerced, and strengthening its empire. It was at this juncture that it made its move toward securing the small, weak island-state of Melos, which in its neutral independence suggested danger to the Athenian empire. In a move not of fairness, but of survival, Athens offered the Melians an ultimatum: to be subjugated
The Mediterranean region encompasses the Mediterranean Ocean and the surrounding land outside of it. Medieval Europe is a time period, sometimes referred to as the ‘dark ages’, where because of various reasons, many cultural changes occurred. From the decline of the West Roman Empire and its empirical structures (circa 647 C.E.) and the creation of the political system, feudalism, new societies emerged with new cultural elements such as an almost complete loss of education and literacy, while other cultural aspects remained such as the social status of women and the importance of religion, mainly Christianity.
By 1918 both Jews and Arabs believed that they had the right to rule themselves in their own land – Palestine. However, at the end of war Britain regretted to give independence both Arabs and Jewish. Palestine became a territory governed by Britain. Increased Jewish immigration led to the worsening of the relations between communities. Jews were purchasing land and would not employ Arab workers, who may have been working on that land for their whole life.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict was started when the United Nations proposed the partition plan for Jewish homeland in 1947. The Jewish agrees with the plan but the Palestinians disagree because they think it is unfair for their land being taken. Since then, many wars have been fought between Israel and Palestinians such as:
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most controversial conflicts in modern history. The expansion of Israel since 1947 is seen as the beginning of the conflict, although its origins go back to the end of the 19th century, when Jewish immigration to Palestine began to increase. Since the start of the conflict, several peace negotiations have been carried out, resulting in variable degrees of success.
The Turkish occupied the higher ground having an advantage over the ANZACs, who had to create tunnels/trenches with the sea right behind them.
The lust for territory seems to be the real source of conflict, and until one group is satisfied, the appearance of religious conflict will exist in the Middle East. It seems as if the real truth needs to be portrayed to the rest of the world about the true reason for the Arab-Israeli conflict, which is geography and ultimately water. The lack of water stems from the Great Syrian Rift Zone, and causes damage to Israeli land which ultimately decreases the amount of water that flows into the Red Sea. This lack of water causes Israel and other surrounding countries (Jordan, Lebanon, and the Occupied Territories) to only have one source of surface water, which is from Lake Kinnaret, or the Sea of Galilee that flows into the Jordan River.
There is an increasingly growing global controversy about whether the United States should intervene in the Syrian conflict, and whether this intervention should be military or strategic. The U.S. has recently avoided interfering militarily in Syria or providing the rebels with direct support, but admitted the presence of the Syrian opposition.
This issue has been with Turkey almost since the foundation of the Turkish State in 1923. The Kurds were promised the creation of an independent state as part of the treaty of Sevres in 1920 but this part of the treaty was never ratified and Turkey has refused to recognize the existence of a separate Kurdish ethnic community within its borders.
Syriana is a movie revolving around the many facets of US – Middle East relations. The movie is split into various plot lines to identify roots of Islamic Militancy and Terrorism in the Middle East, prospects of democracy and full self-determination and the varying effects of current US policy.
Kurdistan is a region that has existed in turmoil and is the “never was” country. The Kurds are the fourth largest ethnic group of the Middle East, numbering between 20 and 25 million. Approximately 15 million live in the regions of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria, an area they called Kurdistan, yet they do not have a country of their own. Formal attempts to establish such a state were crushed by the larger and more powerful countries in the region after both world wars. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I, the Kurds were promised their own independent nation under the Treaty of Sevres. In 1923 however, the treaty was broken allowing Turkey to maintain its status and not allowing the Kurdish people to have a nation to call
In October 1918 the Ottomans capitulated to the Allies, and Kemal became one of the leaders of the party which favoured a policy of defending the Turkish-speaking heartlands of the Empire, while agreeing to withdraw from all the non-Turkish territories. Turkish nationalist sentiment was aroused by the Greek occupation of Izmir (Smyrna) in May 1919, in accordance with the Treaty of Sevres (this Treaty was signed by the Sultan under Allied duress but never ratified by the Ottoman parliament.)
The Syrian Arab Republic is an Arab country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the North, Iraq to the East, Jordan to the South, and Israel to the Southwest. In March 2011, the Syria conflict has begun due to various reasons and is still going on today. This outbreak is one of the key factors which resulted the Arab Spring (Arab Uprising). Arab Spring refers to the democratic uprisings that arose independently and spread across the Arab world in 2011. The protest originated in Tunisia in December 2010 and quickly took hold in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. In these countries, the citizens intiatied the protests as the ruling families have been
were chosen by God to set up a state of Israel where they could not be
The Arab Spring has been a life changing phenomena, not only for the people who are attempting to overthrow their governments but for political scientists everywhere. The events originating in the North African country of Tunisia have led to the snowballing of several other Middle Eastern, predominantly Muslim, nation states. The figurative breaking point might have finally been reached as the oppressed peoples of the Middle East have risen up to overthrow long-standing dictatorial governments in hopes of revolutionary change; change that is subject to the will of the people.