Reaching Across the Dividing Line: Building a Collective Vision for Peace in Cyprus
| Published date | 01 March 2004 |
| Date | 01 March 2004 |
| Author | Benjamin J. Broome |
| DOI | 10.1177/0022343304041060 |
| Subject Matter | Journal Article |
191
Introduction
The ethnically divided eastern Mediterranean
island of Cyprus provides an instructive
example of a protracted conflict (Azar, 1990),
one that arose during the height of Cold War
politics and has outlasted both the Cold War
and many of the other disputes that have
consumed the majority of the world’s atten-
tion in recent years. Like many similar situ-
ations, the conflict in Cyprus was driven
originally by extreme nationalist rhetoric,
intolerance of cultural differences, abuse of
minorities, and use of violence to subvert
the political process (Anastasiou, 2002;
Anderson, 1995). Although there has been
minimal intercommunal violence since a
ceasefire was declared in 1974 and a UN-
patrolled buffer zone was created between the
areas that are under the control of the two
communities, the diplomatic community has
made little progress in bringing the Cyprus
conflict to a successful resolution (Mirbagheri,
1998; Richmond, 1998). Factors such as
historical memory (Hadjipavlou-Trigeorgis,
1998), regional hostilities (Bahcheli &
Rizopoulos, 1996/97; Joseph, 1997), major-
power interference in internal affairs
(O’Malley & Craig, 1999; Papadakis, 1998),
and reluctance to change the status quo
(Bolukbasi, 1998) have prevented political
leaders of the two communities from reaching
an agreement on most of the key issues.
In addition to the political stalemate, com-
munication barriers resulting from the de
facto ethnic partition of the island have until
© 2004 Journal of Peace Research,
vol. 41, no. 2, 2004, pp. 191–209
Sage Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA
and New Delhi) www.sagepublications.com
DOI: 10.1177/0022343304041060 ISSN 0022-3433
Reaching Across the Dividing Line: Building a
Collective Vision for Peace in Cyprus*
BENJAMIN J. BROOME
Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University
Although the conflict on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus has resisted for decades attempts
by third parties to negotiate a political solution, and in spite of communication barriers that until
recently made contact between ordinary citizens extremely difficult, a number of initiatives have
brought together groups of citizens who have formed interpersonal alliances across the buffer zone that
divides the island. This article focuses on one of these citizen groups that met over a nine-month period,
examining in detail the phase of the group’s work in which participants created a ‘collective vision state-
ment’ to guide their peacebuilding efforts. The group encountered many difficulties, ranging from
internal dissent to outside pressures, but it was able to work through them by employing a structured
methodology for dialogue that gave voice to individual contributions and promoted a consensus that
reflected the variety of needs and opinions within the group. The vision statement created by the group
was instrumental in its future work, in which the group developed and implemented a collaborative
action agenda for peacebuilding activities. It is suggested that such vision statements, developed through
a consensus process that assists groups in managing their discussions fruitfully, help focus the group
toward a common set of goals, while preserving individual views and perspectives.
* Author’s e-mail: Benjamin.Broome@asu.edu.
90T 04 041060 (ds) 3/2/04 1:12 pm Page 191
recently make it extremely difficult for
ordinary citizens to meet together during the
past 25 years (Constantinou & Papadakis,
2001).1These barriers prevented the for-
mation of interpersonal or group alliances
that might have helped ease the political
deadlock. In spite of these barriers to com-
munication, a number of citizen-based
bicommunal initiatives have taken place since
1974.2This article will focus on a group of
Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots who
worked over a nine-month period to develop
a strategy and a set of activities for their
peacebuilding efforts. Drawing upon the
author’s experience as primary facilitator for
the planning sessions, the emphasis will be on
the dynamics of a particular stage of the
group’s process, when they were engaged in
forming a collective vision for their work.3
The following sections will describe the
process used to conduct the meetings, ways
in which the group struggled as it worked
together, results of their efforts, and the role
their vision statement played in the group’s
subsequent peacebuilding activities.4
Background
Cyprus is a war-torn island divided by differ-
ences in language, cultural heritage, religion,
politics, view of the past, and vision of the
future (Attalides, 1979; Calotychos, 1998;
Denktash, 1982; Joseph, 1997; Hitchens,
1997; Kizilyurek, 1993; Koumoulides,
1986; Markides, 1977; Stearns, 1992;
Tamkoç, 1988; Theophanous, 1996; Volkan,
1979). Because of past actions by each side
toward the other that brought disruption,
displacement, loss of life, and other forms of
suffering, both sides see themselves as victims
of aggression, and neither side trusts the
other. The physical division of the island in
1974 has affected nearly every aspect of
people’s lives including the psychological
condition of residents, who carry a sense of
injustice about the past and anxiety about
the future. For overviews of the current situ-
ation, see Anastasiou (2000, 2002), Barkey
& Gordon (2001/02), Savvides (2002), and
Yesilada & Sozen (2002).5
Despite the protracted nature of the
conflict, the obstacles to communication,
and the failure of negotiators to make
progress towards its resolution, numerous
efforts have been made to bring bicommunal
groups together in Cyprus. The citizen-led
reconciliation activity started in the 1970s
(Doob, 1974; Fisher, 1992; Hadjipavlou-
Trigeorgis, 1993; Stoddard, 1986; Talbot,
1977), often utilizing the problem-solving
methodologies described by Burton (1969),
Fisher (1997, 2001), Mitchell (1981), and
other conflict theorists. The efforts began to
grow in the early part of the 1990s (Broome,
1998), owing in large part to assistance by
various third parties (Diamond & Fisher,
journal of PEACE RESEARCH volume 41 / number 2 / march 2004
192
1Restrictions on freedom of movement were partially lifted
in April 2003, greatly expanding the opportunity for
ordinary citizens to cross the buffer zone for visits,
meetings, and other face-to-face communications. The
effects of this move have not been adequately analyzed, and
at the time of this writing it is too early to say how it will
affect the formation of new bicommunal groups.
2A major player in sponsoring these initiatives, especially
during the period 1990–97, was the Cyprus Fulbright
Commission, a US-based educational exchange program.
Various diplomatic entities have also been instrumental in
organizing and funding bicommunal programs, including
the US Embassy, the British High Commissioner, the
European Commission, the Slovak Embassy, and others, in
particular the United Nations Mission in Cyprus. In recent
years, significant funding for cross-community projects has
come from the United Nations Office for Project Services
(UNOPS) and from the European Commission.
3I facilitated the work of this group in my role as Senior
Fulbright Scholar in communication and conflict resolu-
tion, a position I held during 1994–96. Since that time, I
have continued active involvement in working with bicom-
munal groups in Cyprus.
4I am able to offer personal observations about the nature of
the dialogue that took place within the group, but I am not
in a position to evaluate the results of this work and its impact
on the conflict. An external evaluation of the group whose
work is described in this article is reported in Wolleh (2001).
5In Turkey, the Turkish Economic and Social Studies
Foundation (TSEV), http://www.tesev.org.tr, publishes
ongoing reports about Cyprus, while in Greece, the
Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy
(ELIAMEP), http://www.eliamep.gr, produces occasional
papers about the Cyprus conflict.
90T 04 041060 (ds) 3/2/04 1:12 pm Page 192
To continue reading
Request your trial