The EOKA Cause: Nationalism and the Failure of Cypriot Enosis

This book explores the origins, conduct, and failure of Greek Cypriot nationalists to achieve the unification of Cyprus with Greece. Andrew Novo addresses the anti-colonial struggle in the context of: the competition for the nationalist narrative in Cyprus between the Left and Right, the duelling Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot nationalisms in Cyprus, the role of Turkey and Greece in the conflict on the island, and the concerns of the British Empire during its retrenchment following the Second World War. More than a narrative history of the period, an analysis of British policy, or a description of counter-insurgency operations, this book lays out an examination of the underpinnings of the enosis cause and its manifestation in action. It argues that the strategic myopia of the enosis movement shackled the cause, defined its conduct, and was the primary reason for its failure. Divided and occupied, Cyprus, and the world, deal with its unresolved legacy to this day.

Table of Contents:
Introduction-The Cause: Cyprus and the enosis dream 1. An Appeal to “Mother Greece:” The roots of Greek nationalism in Cyprus 2. Imperial Constitution: Rejection and radicalization 3. Communists and Clerics: The political struggle for the nationalist narrative 4. Taking Up Arms: The continuation of politics through force 5. Deepening Divides: Political and ethnic fractures 6. Making a Stand: The arrival of Governor Harding 7. “A full scale emergency:” Restoring law and order 8. False Dawn: The failed road to peace 9. On All Fronts: TMT and the threat of civil war 10. End Game: Killing a dream Conclusion-Defeat of a Cause Index

About the Author :
Andrew R. Novo is Associate Professor of Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, Washington, DC.

Review :
This book is an important and balanced study of a stillborn nationalist unification movement. The EOKA Cause-referring to the Greek Cypriot movement aspiring to enosis with Greece-provides the necessary background and context for any scholar or policy maker that wants to understand this Cold War era proxy war, which was conducted on the island under the watchful eye of external powers-USA, USSR, Britain, Greece, and Turkey. This comprehensive study allows the reader to appreciate the type of independence that followed in the 1960s, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, as well as the contemporary status quo on this unhealed island. The EOKA Cause is an important contribution to a long-lasting debate. It seeks to uncover the motivations behind British policy on Cyprus during the crucial period prior to independence and scrutinize the formation and evolution of EOKA. In doing so, it unveils the often contrasting motivations of the movement's main protagonists, reveals their insecurities and miscalculations and highlights the timeliness of true leadership in resolving complex problems of nationalism, identity and international diplomacy. Through meticulous research and a gripping narrative, Andrew Novo sheds fresh light to a story whose repercussions are with us to this day. Thought-provoking and original, The EOKA Cause deserves to be read widely. Meticulously researched … enlightening reading for foreign policy thinkers in a moment when emerging conflicts confound 20th-century orthodoxies.