From Non-Intervention to Mediation: The Transformation of the US Cyprus Policy (1960-1967)

Abstract

This article aims to reveal the transformation of the US Cyprus policy between 1960 and 1967. In the early 1960s, the US adopted a policy of non-intervention in the Cyprus dispute. However, the developments on the Island in 1964 made it impossible for the US to refrain from the dispute after a point. For this reason, the US tried to manage the Cyprus dispute so that it would not harm the harmony and cohesion of the NATO Alliance. During this period, the US occasionally confronted Turkey and Greece. However, despite all the tensions, the US administration was careful not to break relations with its allies completely. On the other hand, Turkey and Greece considered themselves indispensable to the US during this period. Each ally always expected the support of the US against the other. However, most of the time, both allies were dissatisfied with the attitude of the US at the same time.