WHY CYPRUS?
Cyprus: Birthplace of an ancient culture, yet an independent nation since only 1960. Home to fewer than a million people, yet a magnet for millions of tourists annually. Now this small Mediterranean island is the focus of attention for both UN and European Union (EU) officials. The EU, because the Republic of Cyprus has completed intense preparations to become a full and active member on May 1, 2004 — and has done so, despite the unresolved conflict that divided its land and population in 1974. And the UN, because of its members' increasing desire to help Cypriots end that long conflict. What caused the split? What proposal is on the table for resolving it? How might Cyprus's admission to the EU — and the benefits flowing from that admission — influence what has been called the "Cyprus Issue"?

In the following paragraphs, you'll find material to assist you in exploring and developing these questions with students. You'll also find a special section on helping students to sharpen their Social Studies Reading Skills, even as they tackle the unit pages designed for their use.

CURRICULUM STANDARDS
This unit on Cyprus is appropriate for high school courses in world history, world regions, international relations, and contemporary issues. It has been written to help students achieve standards of learning (SOLs) suggested by two guidelines — Expectations of Excellence (EOE) and the National Geography Standards (NGS). Thus, students using the unit should be better able to:

• "identify and describe significant historical periods and patterns of change within and across cultures, such as the development of ancient cultures, … [and] the rise of nation states" — EOE: "Time, Continuity, and Change"
  
  
• "analyze and evaluate conditions, actions, and motivations that contribute to conflict and cooperation within … nations" — EOE: "Power, Authority, and Governance"
  
  
• "predict how evolving political and economic alliances [will] affect … traditional world cultures regions" — NGS: "The Characteristics, Distribution, and Complexity of Earth's Cultural Mosaics"
  
  

CRITICAL TERMS
The terms "Cypriot," "Greek," and "Turkish" pop up in any discussion of the Republic of Cyprus, part of which is now under military occupation by Turkey. In this unit: (a) references to "Greek Cypriots" and "Turkish Cypriots" apply to Cypriots whose ancestors arrived centuries ago from areas now known as Greece and Turkey; (b) the names "Greeks" and "Turks," on the other hand, designate citizens of those two countries. That distinction becomes vital for students learning about the occupied area of Cyprus, where Turkish troops and Turkish Cypriot troops stand side-by-side.

When addressing it, you may also want to preview these terms: bi- (the prefix used in describing the proposed solution to the Cyprus Issue — viz., a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation), buffer zone, demonstrations (for a political goal), federation, free market, military intervention, military occupation, negotiation, strategic port, unanimous vote.

FOUR BIG QUESTIONS
While the questions at the top of the Student Text Page are intended to prompt research, they can also be used as the focus for a class study unit. You might introduce the topic by showing students a map of the East Mediterranean and asking them to identify Cyprus's regional location. Some authorities include the island in the Middle East (geographic definition); others, in Europe (cultural-heritage definition).

1.     "How has Cyprus's location influenced the island's cultural history?" The Student Text Page suggests several possibilities. In ancient times, Cyprus's copper deposits lured venturous seafarers. (Indeed, the term "copper" derives from "Kypros," the Greek term for Cyprus.) And this contact set the stage for the island's long history as a strategically located base for traders in the East Mediterranean. At the same time, the island's beauty drew permanent settlers — most significantly, those colonists who transplanted their culture from the Greek Aegean islands. The island's proximity to Turkey (ancient Anatolia) explains Cyprus's attractiveness to Ottoman Turks centuries later — and its interest to the government of Turkey today. (See the Cyprus Map Page in this unit.)

You might want to tell students that, over the ages, Cyprus has attracted traders, settlers, visitors, and conquerors from other places as well: from Assyria, Egypt, Persia, Rome, Byzantium, Venice, and Britain. Each culture left its mark, prompting many to regard Cyprus as a "crossroads of civilizations." In fact, world tourists still flock to the island to admire the artifacts of Cyprus's multicultural heritage. (See the Cyprus Data Page.)

TIP: Using a large map of the East Mediterranean region, ask students to locate Cyprus with reference to southeastern Europe, southwestern Asia, and northern Africa. Then invite them to speculate on why the island's location is considered "strategic" by world policymakers today.

2.     "What benefits does Cyprus anticipate, as it joins the European Union (EU)?" Following the EU's invitation and the Republic's approval of required treaties, Cyprus and nine other nations are slated to become full and active members of the EU on May 1, 2004. As a member, Cypriots will participate in the EU's expanded free market and will also benefit from EU programs dealing with economic, social, environmental, educational, and security issues. The Republic of Cyprus has worked hard for several decades to achieve this goal. In 1998, it started formal negotiations for accession (admission) to the EU and began the process of adapting its own laws to EU regulations. (That process, which covers such policy areas as energy, agriculture, and telecommunications, is called harmonization with the acquis — the political and legal principles on which the EU is constituted.)

The Republic of Cyprus has been widely recognized as a leader in making such adaptations. Indeed, as of June 2003, it was the only nation among the new EU members that could be classified as a "full-paying" member — a nation that contributes more to the EU than it receives from EU programs. This achievement has been due, in large part, to the sheer will of Greek Cypriots who rebuilt their economy after the invasion by Turkey in 1974 — despite losing access to 70 percent of their nation's productive capacity in the occupied territory. The Cyprus Data Page for this unit offers a few clues as to how the Republic accomplished that economic recovery. Tourism and service industries, for example, add healthy chunks to Cyprus's GDP. So does the country's accommodation to foreign businesses wishing to sail vessels under the flag of the island republic.

TIP: Have students work in small groups to research the names, populations, and per-capita GDPs of the nine other nations that are slated to join the EU on May 1, 2004 (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia). Ask each student group to publish its findings in a comparison chart. Then discuss: What do all these new nations (including Cyprus) offer the EU? What does membership in the EU offer to each of them?

3.     "Why does the UN maintain a peacekeeping force in Cyprus?" On the Student Text Page, the section labeled "Elusive peace" contains a brief outline of events in the 1960s and 1970s that led directly to the current stand-off between Greek Cypriots in the southern part of the Republic of Cyprus and Turkish Cypriots in the occupied northern third of the island. But students can also look for indirect clues in the two surrounding sections: "Roots" and "And Now…." The lingering effects of the Greek Cypriots' (now abandoned) campaign for enosis might be one such clue, as would the continued efforts by Turkish Cypriot leaders to claim legitimacy for their government — a government that no one else in the world (save Turkey) recognizes. [NOTE: For a detailed examination of the "Cyprus Issue" in the mid-20th century, see "Historical Setting," "British Rule," and "The Republic of Cyprus" in Chapter 1 of Eric Solsten's Cyprus: A Country Study. Though dated, this Library of Congress source is very useful for background information on the period between the 1920s and 1974 — including the limitations of Cyprus's 1960 constitution, subsequent periods of conflict and negotiation, and the role of the Greek military junta in stirring a revolt against the Cypriot president in 1974.]

TIP: Encourage students to brainstorm a list of strategies that might be useful in helping to reduce mounting tensions between any two groups of citizens within the same country. In this global world, who should (or might) have the responsibility for setting such strategies in motion?

4.     "Who's working to resolve the 'Cyprus Issue' in our time — and what do they propose?" Cyprus's biggest remaining challenge is symbolized by the buffer zone patrolled by UN peacekeepers. The island's partial occupation by Turkish troops since 1974 presents a challenge whose solution will involve more than the withdrawal of those troops. There are also unresolved constitutional, territorial, and security issues separating the two groups of Cypriots — as well as the issue of how to restore property to persons displaced during the 1974 invasion. Quite a task for those who wish to help negotiate Cyprus's future! Under the leadership of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the UN has proposed a detailed plan (twice revised) for a comprehensive settlement.

TIP: You may want students to research, report on, and discuss the Annan plan. Supported by the government of Cyprus as a basis for negotiations, the plan is modeled on the relationship between Switzerland's federal government and its many cantons. Specifically, the proposal calls for the formation of a "United Cyprus Republic [which would be] an indissoluble partnership, with a federal government and two equal constituent states," the Greek Cypriot state and the Turkish Cypriot state. (As of January 2004, the EU, the USA, and world diplomats were continuing to urge both groups of Cypriots to restart negotiations on the UN plan. But substantive talks had not resumed.)

SOCIAL STUDIES READING SKILLS
Realizing that the recent Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) will exert a mounting pressure on social studies teachers to emphasize reading skills with secondary school students, LE offers the following tips for use with this unit (see also LE's new page on Reading Skills in the Social Studies):

* Making connections. It's important for students to develop the skill of making connections between any new piece of reading material and any related topics or issues they've already explored. To help readers of this unit develop that skill, you might try these steps: Write the term "Connections" on the chalk board. Ask students to skim-read the "And Now…." article on Cyprus and, as they do so, to volunteer any associated topics that come to mind. List their suggestions on the board and plan to review them after the class has had enough time to re-read the article more carefully. Possible valid "connections" might include the following four concept areas:

1. Significance of Cyprus's location. The East Mediterranean region: since ancient times, a crossroads for the exchange of goods and ideas between world cultures; in our time, a setting for serious conflicts
2. Influence of Greece and Turkey. Spread of ancient Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean and in Europe; conflict between Ottoman Turks and Greeks from 14th century onward — and lingering differences between their respective descendants; role of Greece and Turkey as NATO members; role of Greece as EU member
3. Internal division within nations. Since World War II, a troubling phenomenon, as groups with differing political goals clash over the direction of their nation's or territory's future — sometimes doing so with the support and influence of external allies
4. Role of international organizations. The European Union — for several decades, an expanding group of nations focused on the collective and peaceful development of each member's freedom, security, and trade. The United Nations — since 1945, a world organization focused on promoting peace and socio-economic development, as well as human rights

* Looking for the "Five W's." Old-fashioned guidelines for investigative journalists are still good advice for young writers — and readers. Asking students to list the "Who? What? Where? When? and Why?" of any major article will help them to both deconstruct the piece of writing and find its central message or meaning. (The exercise will also give them a good idea of how well-constructed the author's work is…… Some writers omit one or more of those points of information.) After reading this unit's text page, a student's search for the article's five "W's" should produce some version of the following answers:

1. Who? (major participants) Republic of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Turkish troops, Greece, Turkey, Great Britain, EU, UN
2. What? (key event and/or issue) As the Republic of Cyprus joins the EU, people everywhere are hoping for an end to the Turkish occupation of one third of the island and trying to find a solution to political issues that have divided Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
3. Where? (location and/or setting) Cyprus, an island in the East Mediterranean Sea
4. When? (key dates, historical time periods) The key event and issue (see "What?") are taking place in the 21st century. Significant background periods include: (a) the late 19th through the 20th centuries and (b) more remotely, preceding centuries.
5. Why? (a question that always depends on an article's focus) Implicit in this student article are two Why's: Why Cyprus sought EU membership (to enjoy the EU's social, environmental, security, and economic benefits — including access to its free market); and Why Cypriots remain divided, even in the face of the Republic's EU membership (an inability — thus far — to overcome decades of disputes over conflicting domestic political goals).

MORE SOURCES
A list of materials on Cyprus (including UN resolutions concerning the Cyprus Issue) can be obtained by writing to: The Press Office/Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus/2211 R Street, NW/Washington, DC 20008. The UN's Security Council Resolutions on Cyprus are also available online. When the year-by-year list of resolutions opens up, begin with the 1974 link, then scan each successive year's listing for "Cyprus." (The earliest years are significant.)

For news breaks and data on Cyprus, check the "World" Page at The Washington Post. (When the Page opens, enter "Cyprus" in the Search box and follow the links — e.g., "Cyprus: Latest News and Post Coverage.") The Site that provides online access to world reports by the BBC News is another excellent source of information. (Enter "Cyprus" in the Search Box at the top of the opening page.) For a quick update on Cyprus's progress toward full EU membership, see the opening page on the Site maintained by the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in the USA. And, while you're browsing, check out the Site for the Cypriot government's official Press and Information Office. You'll find the latest news and views from Nicosia….

Finally, here are two other Sites with special interest for U.S. educators: (1) Periodic White House reports to the U.S. Congress, on policy toward Cyprus. (Enter "Cyprus" in the upper left-hand Search Box and select "Foreign policy" in the right-hand Subject Box.) (2) Recent U.S. House and Senate bills reflecting Congressional positions on the Cyprus Issue. (Enter "Cyprus" in the Word/Phrase Search box at the top of the page. OR: Select "Congressional Record: Text Search 101st-108th," then enter "Cyprus" in the Search Box that opens.)

LE recommends these sources, too:

"Cyprus." The Columbia Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press. Current edition.

"Cyprus." Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia. Current edition.

"Cyprus." World Factbook. CIA annual.

Martin, Josh. "Cyprus: Gearing Up for Change." Middle East. May 2003. P38.

Papadopoulos, Tassos. "Speech by … [Cyprus's] President on the Occasion of the Signing of the Instrument of Ratification of the Accession Treaty to the EU." July 28, 2003.

"Questions Relating to the Whole of Cyprus." A fascinating page from an authoritative source on the Cyprus-EU accession negotiations.

Simons, Marlise. "Greeks and Turks Mingle Peacefully on Cyprus." The New York Times. April 27, 2003. PA03.

UNESCO. "The World Heritage List." Scroll to "Cyprus" for images and descriptions of three renowned cultural sites on the island.

U.S. Department of State. "Background Note: Cyprus". December 2003.

© Learning Enrichment, Inc. Content last updated: January 2004. Page last reviewed: January 2004.