• Introduction


• Social and Historical Background


• What and where is Cyprus?


• Who are the Greek Cypriots?


• Who are the Turkish Cypriots?


• What other communities live on the island?


• Who ruled Cyprus in the past?


• How did Cyprus become a part of the Ottoman Empire and what were its effects?


• When and why did Cyprus come under British control?


• What were Enosis and the Megali Idea?


• How did British rule develop in Cyprus?


• What was EOKA campaign and how did it develop?


• Was the EOKA uprising anti-Turkish?


• How did Britain respond to the uprising?


• What were the Zürich-London Agreements and why did they emerge?


• How did the 1960 Constitution divide powers between the communities?


• Who and what are the Guarantor Powers?


• What sort of military presence were the Guarantor Powers granted on the island?


• Constitutional Collapse, 1960-1974


• What did the two communities think of their new state?


• How did the constitution break down?


• What were the 13 constitutional amendments proposed by Makarios?


• How did fighting start between the two communities in 1963, and was it planned?


• Did the Turkish Cypriot leave the government or were they forced out?


• How did the UN establish a peacekeeping presence on the island?


• Why is UN Security Council Resolution 186 so important?


• What was the Acheson Plan?


• How did the UN Mission of Good Offices emerge?


• What led to the Greek military coup in Cyprus in 1974?


• How did the Turkish invasion happen?


• Was the Turkish invasion legal and was it a conspiracy?


• A DIVIDED ISLAND, 1974


• What were the effects of the invasion on the two communities?


• What were the High Level Agreements?


• When and why did the Turkish Cypriot unilaterally declare independence?


• What was the 'Draft Framework Agreement'?


• What was the 'Set of Ideas'?


• What was the Loizidou case?


• How did Cyprus become a candidate for EU membership?


• What was the Turkish response to the EU decision to accept Cyprus as a candidate?


• How did the EU accession affect the reunification talks?


• Why was the Green Line opened?


• How did the final version of the Annan Plan emerge?


• What did the Annan Plan propose?


• What support did the proposals receive?


• Why did the Greek Cypriot oppose the Annan Plan?


• What were the consequences of the vote for the two sides?


• Should Cyprus have been allowed to join the European Union still divided?


• What was the July 2006 agreement?


• How did new talks emerge in 2008?


• The Key Issues


• What is meant by a bizonal, bicommunal federation?


• What does 'political equality' mean in terms of a solution?


• What sort of federal system and governmental structure do the sides want?


• Will the Republic of Cyprus continue to exist after a settlement?


• Will the territory of the states correspond to the current division of the island?


• How will property issues be addressed?


• Will there be freedom of movement and settlement across the island?


• Will all Turkish settlers have to leave the island?


• Will the Treaties of Guarantee and Alliance continue?


• What assurances will exist that an agreement be implemented?


• Will Britain have to give up its military bases as part of a settlement?


• What will be the relationship between Cyprus and the EU?


• How will the economic aspects of a solution be managed?


• Current and Future Settlement Efforts


• Will the UN retain responsibility for peacemaking and peacekeeping?


• What part does the UN Security Council play in settlement efforts?


• What is the 'European Solution' to the Cyprus Problem?


• Has EU accession changed the parameters of a solution?


• Is a settlement linked to Turkey's EU membership?


• What role does Greece play in settlement efforts?


• Can the current status quo continue indefinitely?


• Will future settlement efforts be based on a federal solution?


• Could a solution be based on a confederation or a unitary state?


• Are enosis or taksim still possible options?


• Could the TRNC be recognized?


• Is formal partition a 'fair and viable' solution?


• Suggestions for Further Reading

James Ker-Lindsay is the Eurobank EFG Senior Research Fellow on the Politics of South East Europe at the London School of Economics. He is the author of Crisis and Conciliation: A Year of Rapprochement Between Greece and Turkey and EU Accession and UN Peacemaking in Cyprus.

A concise guide to one of the most confounding and seemingly irresolvable international conflicts for almost half a century.