As I sit writing, the gentle rocking of artillery shakes the windows; these are the sounds and tremors of the regular military drills just outside of the Northern Cyprus campus of Middle Eastern Technical University. These sensations are faint reminders of my experiences as a child of the war in Bosnia, our refugee status in Croatia and Slovenia, Germany and finally Canada. As an adult, they are now the anthem of the stupendous idiocy of nationalist causes.
I am by no means an expert on the nature of the Cyprus conflict, and far more learned individuals would doubtless have far more insightful commentaries. Alas, these are but the musings of one who has, as they say, seen some things, done some stuff. My brief experiences in the so called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (TRNC) and briefer still stints in the Republic of Cyprus have instilled, above all, this general sentiment: “Yep, this is pretty much exactly why I’m an anarchist.”
The Republic of Cyprus (“the south”) is a member of the EU. While Cyprus, overall, remains a sparsely populated desert island, dotted by villages and a few urban centers, Greek Cypriots seem to enjoy a comparatively decent standard of living. Nicosia, the capital of both entities, is on the Greek side replete with the typical Western-hallmarks: McDonald’s, Starbucks, Subway, Nike, Adidas etc. Amidst the hustle and bustle of trendy tourist cafes, orange groves and seaside resorts, Greek Cypriots speak in hushed tones about “the occupied territories.” Every Cypriot flag is dutifully accompanied, above all, by a Greek flag and, on occasion, an EU flag.
While Greek and Turkish Cypriots are allowed to freely travel between the two halves, and both are entitled to EU passports (Turkish Cypriots are enticed to give up their TRNC papers in favor of Union documentation), genuine interaction is limited. The people, much as their political institutions, live together on an island in the middle of the Sea, yet miles apart from one another.
The north is an all together different experience. It bears the visible scars of its unrecognized international status (outside of recognition by the Republic of Turkey). Transnational corporations have a presence here too, but they operate under assumed names: Burger City for Burger King, Cyprus-Cola for Coca-Cola. That crazy fad known as “concern for the environment” has not quite yet caught on: recycling is non-existent, despite near constant sunshine and wind, burning oil seemingly remains the primary source of both fuel and heat and disposing of garbage is done the old fashioned way–open pit fires. Worse still, because of its questionable international status, the north is in particular a hub for human trafficking. “Night clubs” (brothels) dot the country side, catering to locals, tourists and of course, military personnel. To boot, the frequent sight of military checkpoints, oversized flags and ridiculous mountain-side nationalist etchings give the whole place an air of unquestionable absurdity.
The Turkish Cypriots, for one, are not beyond recognizing this absurdity. During the 2004 referendum, held simultaneously on both sides, on whether to begin taking serious steps towards reconciliation and reintegration as part of the Anan Plan, Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly voted yes (64.90%) while Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly voted no (75.83%). While Turkish Cypriots favor reunification, there is little indication amongst their political leadership that they are willing to confront the realities of the Turkish military occupation which forcibly created their faux-state and the fate of their former Greek neighbors. And while the main governing Greek Cypriot political party (the Progressive Party of Working People (one of the world’s last governing democratic, “officially”, Marxist-Leninist parties) was in favor of the Anan Plan and continues to advance a purported belief in a federalist solution to the dispute, in the end, they rejected the Plan and urged Greek Cypriots to vote against it. Both sides are unwilling confront their own sordid histories, the crimes they have committed against their neighbors.
I will not claim that the above is in any way an enlightened or entirely correct assessment of political situation on this island. I am, as stated, no expert on the subject. I can, however, confidently say this much. Having to pass through passport control to cross a street, having to pass through a UN “buffer zone” to go shopping is no way to live. While Cypriots may speak different languages, practice different religions and, indeed, have radically different interpretations of their collective history they need merely glance out of their windows to see that the current policy of segregation and separation has been a failure for everyone involved. This much is true of my homeland, Bosnia, too, as I have previously discussed.
The island is itself a perfect metaphor for the conditions we all find ourselves in: adrift in a wide sea, balancing on a precarious rock–struggling to discover a means to live together. While this process is rarely a simple one, it is always superior to the alternative: a poverty of both material conditions and moral and ethical principles necessarily engendered by the absurdities of nationalism.
