Cyprus

This comprehensive portrait delves deep beneath the surface of the modern-day Green Line, a scar of barbed wire and barrels that cuts through the heart of Nicosia, to uncover centuries of history that have shaped the island's fractured identity. From its mythological birth as the island of Aphrodite, through the rise and fall of great empires, the narrative traces the long history of encounters that made Cyprus a unique crossroads of civilizations, but also sowed the seeds of future conflict.

The book chronicles the turbulent 20th century, a period that saw the island move from British colonial rule to a bloody struggle for independence. It meticulously documents the rise of competing nationalisms-the Greek Cypriot dream of enosis (union with Greece) and the Turkish Cypriot demand for taksim (partition)-that set the two communities on a collision course. Witness the dramatic breakdown of the fledgling 1960 republic, the eruption of intercommunal violence, and the cataclysmic events of 1974: a Greek-led coup followed by a Turkish invasion that violently redrew the map of Cyprus, creating a division that has defined the island ever since.

Journey into the starkly different realities that have evolved on either side of the divide: the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus in the south, a modern EU member state, and the isolated, unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The narrative explores the haunting stillness of Varosha, a once-glamorous resort now frozen in time as a ghost city, and gives voice to the human cost of the conflict through the enduring pain of the refugees and the search for thousands of missing persons. It examines the complex roles of the guarantor powers-Britain, Greece, and Turkey-and the decades of failed UN negotiations.

Bringing the story to the present day, the book tackles the crucial issues shaping the island's future, from Cyprus's complex role within the European Union to the new high-stakes battlefield of energy politics in the Eastern Mediterranean. By weaving together political history, personal stories, and cultural analysis, this portrait offers a nuanced and complete understanding of a divided nation, its troubled past, and its uncertain future, making it essential reading for anyone seeking to comprehend one of the world's most intractable conflicts.