A Comprehensive History of the Middle East: Cyprus Volume

Author: Peng Shuzhi, He Zhilong
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 always been the core content of the history of Middle Eastern civilization. Ethnic and religious conflicts are the main internal reasons for the instability in the Middle East today. The prominence and persistence of ethnic and religious conflicts in the Middle East today are also due to its status as a focal point for various global contradictions and a region where different civilizations interact and converge. The complexity of ethnic and religious conflicts in the Middle East, from internal interactions, is primarily manifested in the intricate interweaving of five major ethnic groups and three major religions. The four major ethnic groups—Arab, Turkish, Persian, and Kurdish—all adhere to Islam. Moreover, Islam is characterized by numerous sects, and the Kurds, who are located adjacent to Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria, also have social and international dimensions. Although the Jewish people, who adhere to Judaism, are not a majority ethnic group in terms of population, the establishment of the State of Israel has made them a dominant group. The Greek Cypriots in Cyprus and the Copts in Egypt are also not considered major ethnic groups, but as Christian communities, they hold significant positions in their respective countries, with the former being particularly pivotal in Cyprus. Ethnic and religious conflicts in the Middle East escalate into conflicts, which 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 ethnic groups; others have remained unresolved, such as the dispute between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The second type is interactions between different ethnic groups sharing the same religion. A prominent and influential event of this type was the widespread and prolonged conflict between the Kurds and the Arab, Turkish, and Persian ethnic groups before the Palestinian issue arose; there was also the dispute between the Arab and Persian ethnic groups, which even led to war between Iraq and Iran. The third type is interactions between the same ethnic group with the same religious belief. Multiple conflicts and reconciliations among Arab countries all fall under this category. The various contradictions and conflicts that arise in the ethnic and religious interactions of the Middle East have historical roots, including many negative legacies from past interactions. However, the most important and direct external factor is the negative consequences of the "divide and rule" policy implemented by Western colonial powers. This colonial policy either deepened, triggered, or created ethnic and religious conflicts, serving as a means for Western powers to maintain their hegemony over 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 a golden opportunity for the Middle East to move toward revival and development, but unfortunately, the nationalism that once played a pioneering and driving role in establishing the independent nations of the Middle East developed into major nationalism, narrow nationalism, and regional hegemonism after independence. This irrational extremism also spread among religious sects and combined with ethnic conflicts, manifesting as a strong political affinity of religious value systems. The selfish and exclusive pursuit of the interests of one's own ethnic group, as well as the emotional, impulsive, and fanatical negative aspects of ethnic and religious conflicts, were exploited by political groups or 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 interaction of various internal and external factors, especially in the context of globalization, has become an unstable and fragile system with frequent political changes. Cyprus, as a member of this system, demonstrates the commonalities and uniqueness of independent nations in ethnic and religious interactions. To understand the Cyprus issue, it must be observed against the broader background described above to find its place. Its characteristics are historical, international, and long-term. The fundamental and intrinsic tragedy lies in the escalation of nationalism to extremism due to the lack of a sense of national identity for Cypriot citizenship. To delve deeply into the ethnic and religious interactions of Cyprus, one must explore the connections and changes in terms of time, space, and human civilization—the three basic conditions of civilizational interactions.