The Role of Identity in Greek-Turkish Relations since 1974

Since the 1950’s, relations between Greece and Turkey have been problematic. Cyprus, which is seen by both nations as a national cause, still constitutes the biggest problem between the two neighbours. Although the Greek side was seen to be the big ‘loser’ of the 1974 war, Greece successfully used diplomacy to internationalize and Europeanize the issue and redefined it as a post-1974 phenomenon. A good question to ask is, ‘How Greece, a much smaller and militarily weaker country defeated in 1974, managed to pursue a more coherent foreign policy compared to Turkey?’

In this talk it has been argued that the relatively securer Greek national identity which contributed to the development of a stable democracy, has given an advantage to Greece in its rivalry with Turkey. In order to illustrate how Greece achieved a securer identity, the first part of the talk will provide a structural analysis of the Greco-Turkish relations by focusing on the two countries’ images, nation-building processes, and perceptions. The second part will concentrate on the domestic politics and will examine the positions of diverse political camps in both countries as well as the impact of identity fluctuations in Cyprus on Greco-Turkish relations.

LCSS Seminar Series 08/09
This seminar is organised by the London Centre for Social Studies (LCSS) and LSE Turkish Society. It is the second of the LCSS 2008/2009 seminar series. LCSS is a registered charity that seeks to undertake, encourage, sponsor and contribute towards academic research, work and publication in the UK, findings of which will be of direct relevance and value to academia, charitable organisations, service-providing institutions and governmental and non-governmental bodies. LCSS seminars provide academics, professionals and students an opportunity to share and thereby test their research, ideas, thoughts and projects with others.