DEVELOPMENTS

Nearly a year since U.S. President Barack Obama spoke on the Washington Capitol steps of a “new way forward” with the Muslim world – and more than six months since his landmark Cairo speech of June 2009, perceived administration failures to follow up with tangible policy changes on the ground are causing growing disillusionment in the Arab and Muslim world.

There is little doubt the administration has displayed a strong commitment to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, with ongoing efforts to revive the peace process and move toward a final settlement within two years after negotiations begin. Yet the U.S. continues to face considerable criticism for withdrawing support for democracy in the Middle East, support President Obama suggested the U.S. would provide in his Cairo address.

As a Washington Post editorial pointed out, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explained in a recent press conference in Cairo that the administration’s vision focuses on “education, human development and human rights,” but failed to mention democracy, while the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt struggled to respond when asked what the American position on democracy in Egypt was. The rhetorical de-prioritization of democracy has been coupled by budgetary adjustments, with democracy assistance to Egypt and Jordan – two of the largest overall recipients of U.S. aid – slashed by 60% and 23%, respectively.  

 

Foreign Policy Digest is pleased to offer to its readers a special three-part interview with Andreas Kakouris, the ambassador for Cyprus to the United States, conducted by Robert Friedman, Managing Editor of Foreign Policy Digest.

The interview marks the most recent installment of Foreign Policy Digest "World Views", a series of interviews on contemporary foreign affairs topics conducted by the staff of Foreign Policy Digest with diplomats and foreign policy-makers, available on the Foreign Policy Digest website and the Foreign Policy Digest channel on YouTube.

 

DEVELOPMENTS

In April 2009 Turkish Cypriot voters gave the hard-line National Unity Party a parliamentary majority, lending urgency to the long-standing problem. Since 1974, the Island has been divided between de facto Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones. In that year, the Turkish military invaded Cyprus in the wake of a military coup backed by Greece, claiming its intervention was necessary to protect Turkish Cypriots. To this day, there is a Turkish military presence of 43,000 on the island.

The Turkish government continues to recognize the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which makes up a little over a third of the island. It is the only nation to do so. The European Union, along with the rest of the international community, rejects the Turkish claim and has condemned its occupation of Cyrpus, which presents a major obstacle to Turkey’s EU accession.

Ironically, the basis for an agreement has long existed: both sides generally agree on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal formula.  But the devil is in the details, and it this case the details are numerous.  A 2004 plan developed by the UN was rejected in referendum by Greek Cypriots who claimed the plan did not address property lost during the Turkish invasion and allowed a Turkish military presence to continue on the island.

Observers agree that the current round of peace talks, begun in September 2008, present the best hope to resolve this conflict.