Why is Cyprus still divided?

 America, the European Union, and moderate Arab allies should sanction Turkey until it gives up its occupation.

Michael Rubin

The division of Cyprus is fast approaching the half-century mark. In fact, that division has now lasted longer than that of Germany. Close to two-thirds of Cypriots were not yet born when Turkish troops first invaded the country. The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) maintains the separation between Greek and Turkish Cypriots but it has failed to stop (let alone reverse) Turkey’s ethnic cleansing of the northern third of the island. While the United Nations has sporadically sponsored initiatives to end the occupation, these have gone nowhere. There have not been any substantive talks for the last three years, nor will there be: The discovery of vast gas deposits in Cypriot waters makes Turkish forces less likely to withdraw. When Turkey and Turkish Cypriots do engage, they do so insincerely to keep the process alive, even as they work to undermine any permanent solution.

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