A Comprehensive History of the Middle East (Cyprus Volume)

Author: Peng Shuzhi
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: A Comprehensive History of the Middle East is a 12-volume series covering the national histories of the Middle East. Each volume focuses on one country or a group of countries, exploring both their past and present. Ethnic and religious interactions have long been a core aspect of the history of Middle Eastern civilizations. Ethnic and religious conflicts are the primary internal reasons for the instability in the Middle East today. The prominence and persistence of these conflicts in the contemporary Middle East are further amplified because it serves as a focal point for various global contradictions and a region where diverse civilizations converge and diverge. The complexity of ethnic and religious conflicts in the Middle East, from an internal perspective, is primarily manifested in the intricate interweaving of five major ethnic groups and three dominant religions. The four major ethnic groups—the Arab, Turkish, Persian, and Kurdish—adhere to Islam. However, Islam itself is divided into numerous sects, and the Kurdish people, who are spread across Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria, are also influenced by social and international factors. Although the Jewish people, who adhere to Judaism, are not the largest ethnic group in terms of population, the establishment of the State of Israel has made them a dominant force. The Greek Cypriots and the Coptic Egyptians in Egypt, though not the largest ethnic groups, hold significant positions in their respective countries, with the former being particularly pivotal in Cyprus. The escalation of ethnic and religious tensions in the Middle East into conflicts can be broadly categorized into three types: , interactions between different ethnic groups and different religions. Some of these interactions have become central to Middle Eastern issues, such as the long-standing conflict between the Arab and Jewish Israeli peoples; others remain unresolved disputes, like the Greek-Turkish conflict in Cyprus. The second type involves interactions between different ethnic groups sharing the same religion. A prominent and influential example of this type is the widespread and enduring dispute between the Kurdish people and the Arab, Turkish, and Persian peoples, which even led to war between Iraq and Iran. The third type involves interactions between the same ethnic group adhering to the same religion. Multiple conflicts and reconciliations among Arab countries fall under this category. The various contradictions and conflicts arising from ethnic and religious interactions in the Middle East have historical roots, including numerous negative legacies from past interactions. However, the most significant and direct external factor is the fallout from the "divide and rule" policy of Western colonialism. This colonial policy has either exacerbated, triggered, or created ethnic and religious tensions, serving as a means for Western powers to maintain their hegemony in the Middle East. Between the 1950s and 1960s, the system of independent nations in the Middle East was established on the ruins of the Western colonial system. This was an ideal opportunity for the Middle East to embark on a path of revival and development. Unfortunately, the nationalism that once played a pioneering and driving role in establishing these independent nations later evolved into ethnic majoritarianism, narrow nationalism, and regional hegemonism. This irrational extremism also spread among religious sects and combined with ethnic conflicts, manifesting as a strong political alignment of religious value systems. The selfish and exclusionary prioritization of one's own ethnic interests, along with the emotional, reckless, and fanatical aspects of ethnic and religious negativity, were exploited by political groups or external interference from major powers, leading to the complexity and internationalization of the issues. The newly established system of independent nations in the Middle East, due to the interplay of internal and external factors, especially in the context of globalization, has become an unstable and fragile system with frequent political shifts. Cyprus, as a member of this system, exhibits both the commonalities and uniqueness of independent nations in ethnic and religious interactions. To understand the Cyprus issue, it must be examined within the broader context described above to find its place. Its characteristics are historical, international, and long-term. The fundamental and intrinsic tragedy lies in how the lack of a Cypriot national identity led to the escalation of ethnic extremism. A thorough exploration of the ethnic and religious interactions in Cyprus cannot avoid examining the connections and changes in its historical, geographical, and human dimensions—three fundamental conditions of civilizational interaction.