The Greek-Turkish Conflict in the Aegean: Imagined Enemies (New Perspectives on South-East Europe)

This study of the Greek-Turkish Aegean dispute book shows that the dispute is resolvable and that the crux of the problem is not the incompatibility of interests but the mutual fears and suspicions, which are deeply rooted in historical memories, real or imagined. The Greek-Turkish Aegean conflict, now in its fourth decade, is a threat to the stability of the geopolitically sensitive region between Europe and Asia. This timely and balanced study examines the diplomatic history of the dispute, the various abortive attempts at settlement and its intricate legal dimension. The Aegean dispute is a complex conflict involving sovereignty, national security, oil, freedom of transit and access to islands and ports. The Greek-Turkish Conflict in the Aegean conclusively shows that these matters are not the main issues at stake, and moreover that the conflict may be resolvable. The crux of the problem is the mutual fear and suspicion deeply ingrained in historical memories. Heraclides emphasises both the diplomatic and legal aspects of the conflict, exploring previously untapped data in the only existing recent study of the conflict Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-4 The Perennial Imagination....Pages 5-30 The Modernist Imagination: A 19th Century Conflict....Pages 31-51 The Contemporary Perspective....Pages 52-65 From Lausanne to the 1974 Cyprus Crisis....Pages 66-74 Front Matter....Pages 75-75 The First Years of the Dispute....Pages 77-94 The Montreux Spirit (1978-September 1981)....Pages 95-115 Greek-Turkish Relations at the Nadir (October 1981–9)....Pages 116-131 In the Doldrums (1990-February 1999)....Pages 132-143 Détente....Pages 144-164 Front Matter....Pages 165-165 The Continental Shelf....Pages 167-180 Territorial Sea....Pages 181-192 National Airspace....Pages 193-200 Demilitarisation....Pages 201-208 Imia/Kardak and the Grey Zones....Pages 209-213 Flight Information Regions and NATO Operational Control....Pages 214-219 Front Matter....Pages 221-221 What is to be Done?....Pages 223-249 Back Matter....Pages 250-288 Pt 1. Greeks and Turks : History shrouded in national myth -- The perennial imagination -- Beyond national mythology -- The Modernist imagination : a 19th century conflict -- A contemporary conflict -- From Lausanne to the 1974 Cyprus crisis -- pt. 2. The diplomatic dimension of the Aegean conflict -- The Aegean dispute : the first years -- The Montreux spirit (1978-September 1981) -- Greek-Turkish relations at the Nadir (October 1981-1989) -- In the Doldrums (1990-February 1999) -- The era of Dtente -- pt. 3. The legal dimension if the Aegean conflict -- Continental shelf -- Territorial sea -- National airspace -- Demilitarization -- Imia/Kardak and grey zones -- Flight information zone and NATO operational control -- pt 4. The crux of the problem -- Problems and options -- The short cut -- The long haul : the other in national identity -- In lieu of a conclusion "The Aegean dispute is the main Greek-Turkish conflict and threat to peace and security in the region. The book shows that the dispute is solvable (in win-win terms) and that the crux of the problem is not the incompatibility of interests as such but the mutual fears and suspicions, which are deeply rooted in historical memories, real or imagined."