The Cyprus Conflict: A Case for ‘Joint Decision Trap’

Abstract

This paper is about the current stage of the Cyprus conflict in the context of the recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean. The energy discoveries could have been a catalyst for a solution, but the opposite occurred. The Greek Cypriot administration aimed to expand its regional ‘allies’ through maritime delimitation agreements. Meanwhile, Türkiye has continued its exploratory drilling. The trajectory that the Cyprus conflict followed after the Greek Cypriot administration’s EU membership in 2004 is a case of a ‘joint decision trap.’ The EU’s paralysis towards the conflict has pushed Türkiye, once proactive to resolve it with the expectation of becoming an EU member, to slide back to its traditional hard power strategy.