When I was five years old, I heard something about wars. I didn’t understand that the meaning of this word. I asked my father about the meaning of war? My father explained that if two persons fight for toys this means a conflict and he added that only bad children act like this. He added that when it happens outside the home in a larger sense, it is called as war. Then my mother and father always start to talk with me about peace. They teach me that peace at home will lead to peace in the world.
Today in globalize world countries work for their interests and their benefits compose their aims. Big countries exploit small and weak countries and the reason of this exploitation compose the reason of social conflict. Every person has different perception about this issue. Therefore citing examples is the best way for explaining the perceptions. In my perception, the cause of social conflict in Cyprus is based in history with strategic importance. The island has a strategic importance and it has been colonized many times. After these colonies society start to seek their identities and peoples start to separated from their identities.
I want to give brief information about history for understanding well the causes of conflict in my island. The history has started since World War II, which have shaped the Cyprus conflict. Cyprus history separated 11 periods and each period has some mystery. First period started with the ancient Cyprus, which composed the sources of Greek identity and culture. Second period was the Byzantine rule and Orthodoxy (330- 1191) which was called the new Rome and then Constantinople. Third period was the Frankish period (1192- 1571), which include the Turkish invasion, siege of Famagusta, capitulation to Turks. Fourth period was the Ottoman period (1571- 1878) which showed the Ottoman Turks and included the Greek war of independence (1821), Megali idea, first signs of Enosis idea (1833). What was the idea of enosis? Enosis was the idea which aimed to make the island Greeks. With this idea I can say that the island started to separate in ottoman period and the first cause of conflict exist in ottoman period. Ottoman period ended with one treaty which showed the ottoman gave island British and Cyprus started to live under British (1878- 1960). The Cyprus under British separated two parts first was the British rule until the Second World War and second was the post-war Cyprus.
In British rule until the Second World War include that Cyprus become a British colony (1925) and British control started in island. Against British control AKEL composed. AKEL was the Cypriot communist party. This period include the effect of identity. British control effect the Greek and Turkish Cypriots identities. The post-war included the Cyprus Greek petition in churches for enosis signed by 96- 97%. The most important names are Makarios (archbishop) and Grivas (military leader). They first time came together for success enosis. Sixth period in Cyprus history was the struggle against British (1955- 1959). In this period Grivas and EOKA played an important role. Another important thing was the London conference (Britain invited Greece and Turkey to discuss problems, including Cyprus). But the conference ended without agreement. In 1957 and 1958 EOKA started to boycott of British and at the end of the year long ceasefire. Although attack in 1959 Turkish and Greek foreign ministers met at Zurich to draft basic articles of constitution. This treaty provided the garanti of limited independence, according to the British basis, Greek and Turkish troops to be stationed on the island for the solution Makarios and Dr. Fazil Kucuk elected president and vice president. Grivas retired to Athens. And the Republic of Cyprus composed.
The Republic (1960- 1963) was established on August 15, Makarios president and Dr. Fazil kucuk vice president. But unfortunately they didn’t agree about the separate municipalities issue and the terrorism continued. After constitutional crisis Akritas plan formed. Greeks aimed to kill all Turks in island within 24 hours. Until the seventh period I gave some information about sources of conflict. After this period peoples’ feeling plays important role. 1963 was the date of genocide and this period called the constitutional breakdown & inter communal conflict (1963- 1967) this years was the violence years. Grivas returns to command Greek army and with this return another period started which was called division among Greek Cypriots (1967&1974). Exact division started with the EOKA-B, this organization composed for show that Cyprus is the Greek island and the part of the Greece. They tried to assassinate Makarios because his and his supporter didn’t want to be the part of the Greece. At the end of the year Grivas was death. After 1975 called the deadlock and negotiations (1975 to present day).
In above I tried to explain our history briefly. In this historical process one of the important parts is the minority and majority issue. In island Turkish-Cypriots composed the minority and the Greek- Cypriots composed the majority. In all over the world we can observe that majority societies want to be the leader. This can be the other cause of conflict because in human nature individualism plays an important role to separate something. Turkish- Cypriots declared the unitary state of Turkish republic of northern Cyprus (15 December 1983) because Turkish- Cypriot lives under the pressure and still lives with embargos. In war time peoples have to make choices between deaths or live under pressure. Both of them are the same things for me so Turkish-Cypriot said that we want our secular republic. Now we live with the sense of peace and the one of the important reason is our secular republic.
One example of this conflict in demonstrated my life my father born in pafos in 1965 (southern side). He lived in southern side seven years. When he was 7 years old, they have to migrate because the exile issue was obligation for Turkish- Cypriots. Result of the war he migrate northern side. When my father and his family were come northern side they started their life with fist level. This means they have to shape their life without money, house and food. In that time Turkish- Cypriots have to live in the Greek houses because northern side doesn’t have strong economy. Now we have lots of cases about this issue all Greeks apply court for take their rights but sufferer Turkish- Cypriots cannot apply this court. Where are the human rights? No equal conditions and no rights. Another conflict issue was economy. It is the same island but two separated parts, languages and economy. Southern part of the Cyprus is a EU member and the northern part not. EU provides lots of supply for southern side but Northern side has to live under embargos. We didn’t have external and internal affairs and international flights. Many countries don’t now us. Against all these issues Turkey provide our supplies for alive. Turkey is the garanti of Turkish-Cypriots. This shows that the northern part of the island was externalized. This is the real cause of social conflict.
In all over the world we can find lots of conflicts and we can classify these conflicts with their types. I want to give specific examples about this and show the similarities and differences with my island. Czechoslovakia is one of the most important examples of peacefully separation. Czech and Slovak republic totally separated without any conflict. In my island we have same issue but we separated with war. Peoples separated with their identities and with their religions. In Sri Lanka we can see that the separation between religious group especially Tamils and Sinhalese. They fight because Tamils are minority and want to have a minority rights. In Canada causes of conflict started with language between Quebec and Canada. When I look all of them I can say that all countries have one common point and this point is the conflict and violence. If I compare these countries and Cyprus I can say that Cyprus is the mixture. In Cyprus identities, languages, religions, life style totally different.
In Hansen summer institute we took lots of lessons and each lesson help me to gain new information’s. First time I visit US (San Diego) with inaugural Hansen summer institute program. This is my opportunity because it is my first experience and like a building if one building started with strong structure you can be sure that this structure will never destroyed. I have 100 steps to became a 100% (perfect) with this program. I complete one process and in my life I need 99 step for complete all processes.
In our lessons Understanding immigration and border issue with Rodolfo Jacobo, Image of the enemy- From Identity to Violence with Dipak Gupta, Anger revenge and Violence with Brain Spitzberg, Conflict Resolution and negotiation with Lisa Maxwell are directly related with my own society conflict. Also the Mexican border Tour was reflecting the same things in my society. I cannot describe my feeling about borders. I feel like I am in a jail. I saw the people who live with great sufferings. They can come near the border and like a TV program they can watch the other side. I believe that we have to respect the others we cannot make separation between people about poor and rich and we cannot separate peoples with walls. And I was a shock because everything in border different from the picture also US is the developed country. I think that the borders more better then the Cyprus but I found the opposite.
In Hansen I learn lots of things about different countries, their cultures, their languages and Religious. I met with peoples who have different personalities. All participants are peacefully and friendly. I gain lots of friends from different countries. This Program for me before coming included the leadership and cooperation but now it includes leadership, friendship, cooperation, power, peace, sharing, discipline, affection, respect, communication and etc…
One of the important things for me before coming I didn’t speak one Greek Cypriots but now I have one friend from southern side of my island. Interesting things in Small Island unknown questions find their answers in this program. I start to make real research about conflict and I learn that what does it means conflict, Types of conflict, reasons of conflict. I start to judge and improve myself.
Also I find opportunity to talk with Aristos and I learn his perspective about solution for this talk we prepare discussion group and we discuss more than 5 hours and in this discussion china, India, US are the peacekeepers. According to Aristos peace can be achieved with a unitary state but in this unitary state president should be Greek- Cypriots and vice president Turkish Cypriots. And I think that peace can make with unitary state but people don’t separate from their identities. Peacekeepers try to find solution and they said that unitary state without separation. After we were talk about economy and embargos and the solution found with EU supplies. Both sides can share the supplies without any power. At the end of the discussion we decided that the conflict in Cyprus depends on the lack of respect, lack of trusts, fear, economy, identity, sovereignty, religion and cultural separation, long period of war and other powers.
According to the Greek-Cypriots, I am Turkish-Cypriot and this means I can never be the president of Cyprus. In the island Turkish Cypriots can be the minority and I can be the part of this minority but this doesn’t mean that I never be the president I have human rights and I have lots of aim about future. Time has come for us to find a durable solution to solve this prolonging problem.
No comments:
Post a Comment