Mediating In Cyprus

The UN peacemaking operation in Cyprus has been one of the longest of its kind, but has resulted in discarded proposals, non-papers or reports. This study investigates the Cypriot parties' views of peacemaking, to shed light on the problem, and on the theoretical debates surrounding mediation.

This book traces the international community's attempts to achieve a solution to the Cyprus problem from 1964-86, and analyzes why it has failed. It also discusses the deep mutual distrust between Turks and Greeks throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, which hampers all attempts to reach a satisfactory solution to this intractable problem. Mirbagheri also examines the divergent policies of the key external players and how they have contributed to the current stalemate.

This book takes a systematic and holistic approach to examining all 41 peacemaking initiatives used to settle the Cyprus question from 1955 onward under the auspices of the United Nations and/or other actors in the international system, including the United States, Canada, the UK, Greece and Turkey. The analysis of peacemaking strategies, dynamics and obstacles fleshes out numerous relationships between: (i) peacemaking processes, dynamics and outcomes, from signaling to negotiations and to post-accord completion and implementation; (ii) concessions, constraints and leverage during peacemaking negotiations and third party mediation; and (iii) obstacles to finding an endgame solution and satisfying conditions for lasting peace expectations that all parties can agree on and implement successfully. After documenting 62 interviews with top political leaders in Cyprus (including top tier elected elites and third party mediators) and about 70 more interviews with key informants (including academics, researchers, members of negotiating teams, technical committees and working groups), this book concludes with a plethora of descriptive, as well as prescriptive, propositions on how peacemaking processes could lead to more sustainable and implementable peacemaking initiatives in Cyprus and in similar protracted and seemingly intractable cases.