Die Unlösbarkeit des Zypernproblems
The Insolubility of the Cyprus Problem

Summary/Abstract: Despite numerous attempts through referenda, UN-mediated negotiations, and military interventions, a solution to the Cyprus conflict remains elusive. The conflict can be analysed as a two-level game, involving intra-Cypriot perspectives and multiple international positions complicating the resolution process. Intra-Cypriot efforts have stumbled due to the lack of opportune time frames, except during a period in 2017 when key actors on both the Turkish and Greek sides supported reunification. However, the reached agreement was vetoed by Turkey. In an earlier instance in 2004, when the security powers Greece and Turkey, as well as Turkish Cypriots agreed on the proposed solution to the Cyprus problem within the Annan plan, it was the Greek Cypriots that rejected a resolution to the conflict. This highlights the necessity of reaching an agreement on both the domestic and international level simultaneously. The current obstacle lies on the latter, as the Turkish government lacks incentives to relinquish its bargaining power by utilising Northern Cyprus in its relations with the West.

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