Capitalizing on the cold war: Turkey, Greece and the Cyprus problem, 1963-1974

Abstract

The Cold War brought about not only a superpower rivalry in a bipolar world but also an environment from which relatively small and weak states could benefit. Taking into account the very existence and significance of the superpowers in the Cold War atmosphere, this thesis examines the Cyprus policies of Turkey and Greece between the years 1963-1974. I have sought to answer to what degree these two states have struggled to exploit the superpowers, namely the US and the USSR, in their own interests, and how successful they have been. In the light of the findings obtained, it has been seen that both Turkey and Greece did their best to win the superpowers over during all of the major crises (1964, 1967, and 1974), and accordingly, managed from time to time to capitalize on the cold war, in particular détente. That is to say, in a period when the superpowers went into the effort of de-escalating tension, especially between themselves, the two NATO allies, Turkey and Greece, began to rub shoulders with the USSR when necessary, and the Soviets remained an unignorable option for these two countries as long as the US did not meet their expectations. Crucial primarily due to its geographical location, Cyprus attracted the attention of the US and USSR as well, and the superpowers did not hesitate to side with any of the parties in accordance with their regional interests.