Foreword
Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, has a long history of foreign domination, violence, and civil strife. Situated at the crossroads between Europe, Asia, and Africa, it is the site of an ongoing conflict between ancient adversaries Greece and Turkey.Annexed to Britain in 1914 after three centuries of Ottoman rule, Cyprus gained independence in 1960 under a plan that included constitutional guarantees for its 20 percent Turkish minority and foresaw the peaceful coexistence of its Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities. Tensions developed between the two populations, however, and in July 1974, supporters of the island’s integration with…
