The Cyprus Conspiracy (Book Review)

Stewart


Joined: 19/07/2008
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 17:04

I have just finished an excellant, unbiased book by an Irish reporter called

Brendan o'Malley entitled " The Cyprus Conspiracy "....it does not blame the Turks...or Greeks



Izzet Note: I wanted to add the word book in the subject so members can know the what the thread is about from the title and also in case we have a book popular tag in the future, this shows up.

windmill


Joined: 06/07/2008
Posts: 143

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 17:12

Something in the air i bet

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 17:13

Stewart, who did get the blame then?

dodger



Joined: 29/07/2007
Posts: 1895

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 17:21

Probably Gordon Brown.

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 17:28

Come on now Paul you know it was'nt him. Then again......

Stewart


Joined: 19/07/2008
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 17:31

Doyen....Well, the Greeks wanted the Island for themselves, the Yanks preached Democracy. The Yanks and Brits NEED Cyprus since being thrown out of Aden as a listening post to the middle east and Russia.

Giving control of the Island to one Government would mean eventually having to get Yank and brit bases out of Cyprus.

THIS could not happen, Cy is too important for both.

So...basically the uprising of the Greeks were encouraged, and nothing was done about the Invasion ( the yanks knew in advance and had a fleet in the area )....problem sorted...Brits in Cy to keep the peace, Yanks using the bases ( including those in the Kyrenia mountain range ) as listening posts.

ilovecyprus


Joined: 08/05/2007
Posts: 2880

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 18:01

msge 6



"Yanks using the bases ( including those in the Kyrenia mountain range ) as listening posts"



Kyrenia or Troodos mountains?

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 18:11

Stewart,



If you liked that book (it's been out for a good few years now) you should also enjoy Cyprus: Hostage to History, by Christopher Hitchens, which has a similar hypothesis with plenty of CIA material.



But for those whose lips move when they read, there's always the Genocide Files.

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 18:12

PP. The old ones are the best

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 18:18

Doyen,



I've SEEN their lips move when they read.

gibson335


Joined: 01/11/2008
Posts: 325

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 18:19

msg8



Or for those who can't understand unbiased accounts there's always propoganda!!!!!!!

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 19:12

Yes Gibson. And it appears propaganda is more your style, seeing as the rest of us are discussing serious books about Cyprus. You should try a few sometimes. It puts you on a more equal footing with others.



Knowledge is power. ;-)

WAZ-24-7



Joined: 18/10/2008
Posts: 695

Message Posted:
15/12/2008 22:53

I am not familiar with any of the publications referenced in previous posts.

What is apparent from the information posted is the significance of Cyprus as a strategic and valuable stagging post to the mediteranean and middle east.



This importance does not change.The major International players will without doubt support any settlement to the Cyprus problem that is conjusive to maintaining and strengthening their presence on the Island.

gibson335


Joined: 01/11/2008
Posts: 325

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 08:54

PP



That makes you pretty powerless then. I have actually read both books without moving my lips and found them both extremely informative.



I note that you now label The Genocide Files as a serious book having previously derided it. As for being on an equal footing with you,for one with so much "knowledge and insight" we are all light years behind you and can only sit back in awe at your education



YEAH RIGHT!!I think your actual knowledge should be written down. If you sign it as well you might manage 3 lines



Post moderated for ''rudeness'' rules

aripointer


Joined: 01/07/2008
Posts: 189

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 10:31

A very good book indeed. Really gives a good insight to the problems. Not only do the Americans have listning posts, the French have one also on the Karpaz?

Stewart


Joined: 19/07/2008
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 11:25

Dear Ilovecyprus.....Both...the arials are a bit of a giveaway..take a look from your garden



How about this.....Part of the solution would be for Turkish troops to leave the Island...how about giving them Blue nato Berets and calling them Nato troops instead of Turkish.

frontalman



Joined: 28/02/2008
Posts: 499

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 12:28

I think the book originally mentioned implicates a certain American politician with the initials HK (allegedly).

Stewart


Joined: 19/07/2008
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 12:44

Dear PP your reference to "Hostage to History" ..sounds like the history of the Island...FYI the Island has NEVER been one Culture, not sure why the greeks were going against history?, we need to live together, Why not be, " a citizen of the World"..respect all.....( should the USA be handed back to the American Indian, should Israel be handed back?..) lets ,live in the real world, and move on...

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 13:11

Stewart: "...how about giving them Blue nato Berets and calling them Nato troops instead of Turkish."



I think you're getting Nato confused with UN peacekeeping troops who wear the blue beret. What you suggested would never happen, as Turkey is held internationally to be an aggressor and illegal occupier of Cyprus. The prospect of making them peacekeepers would never be accepted by the UN Security Council for obvious reasons.

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 13:12

gibson: "I note that you now label The Genocide Files as a serious book having previously derided it"



I think you are getting very, very confused.

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 13:16

Stewart msg 18,



You are wrong. The Hitchens book focuses on the Greek-Turkish conflict in Cyprus and the associated external factors. You should read it and a few other texts to gain an insight into the conflict before simply suggesting people "move on".

gibson335


Joined: 01/11/2008
Posts: 325

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 18:31

Only confused by your sudden reversal

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 18:37

Given your obsession with little boys in sailor suits I'm not surprised at your "reversal" comment. Still, the moderators must be entertained by you.

gibson335


Joined: 01/11/2008
Posts: 325

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 18:44

Post deleted for ''rudeness'' violation.



Gibson, please keep your posts polite

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 18:50

Post deleted for ''rudeness, personal attack''

gibson335


Joined: 01/11/2008
Posts: 325

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 18:56

Unlike you who always like to have a go at other people eh?????????



You clearly like to dish it out but can't take it. Much like your chums in the South then.

Also having survived Cancer myself I have done charity work in the past!!!!!!!!

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 19:01

Gibson,



Avoid personal posts as they are against our rules.





Post edited for ''personal'' attack

gibson335


Joined: 01/11/2008
Posts: 325

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 19:07

If they are against bb rules why are you sending them then?????????



It is clear that you feel unable to cope with my comments as I have no anger or grief about anything so you are apparently suffering from a persecution complex.



I will admit to confusion as to why you live here when you clearly treat this part of the Island and it's occupants with contempt and disdain, but hey that's what happens with paranoia

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 19:17

RE msg 18, Stewart : (...) the Island has NEVER been one Culture (...)



===> Sorry, Stewart, you are wrong. So, FYI: The last year with one culture in Cyprus was 1191, when Richard I The Lionheart conquered the island. The population - in many ways heavily influenced by centuiries of contacts with Arabs - at the time officially belonged to the Byzantine Empire (although they were ruled by a self-styled tyrant, Isaac Ducas Comnenus, who had proclaimed himself "Emperor of Cyprus") and spoke a Greek accent.

Stewart


Joined: 19/07/2008
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 19:38

Dear Dutch Crusader...thanks for your correction...but...even under King Richard...cypriots worked the land, the crusaders were not just brits, therefore, could i still be correct in stating the island has always been mulit- culteral ?...would you like to comment further?

Having one Ruler does not mean one culture...in the UK there are many cultures, mostly, accepting one another

Stewart


Joined: 19/07/2008
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 19:43

Dearest PP, I note your comments in 21 that I am wrong, please let me know, why you THINK Brendan O'Malley is wrong or is it merely a biased opinion?

I will welcome a fact based comment....I am open minded and only seek the truth...

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 20:02

Stu,



O'Malley doesn't come into it. I'm saying YOU are wrong if you think the Hitchens book is about the history of the island. That is what you were saying, isn't it?

Stewart


Joined: 19/07/2008
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 20:18

PP....in your message ( 21 ) you stated I was wrong...can you please clarify this statement.

I have never thought the Hitchens book was a history of the Island...what in my comments made you think that?..

I would welcome your thoughts ...can I correctly assume you are Greek Cypriot ?

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 21:18

RE msg 30, Stewart : (...) but...even under King Richard...cypriots worked the land, the crusaders were not just brits, therefore, could i still be correct in stating the island has always been mulit- culteral ?...would you like to comment further? (...)



===> Stewart, I meant: several centuries of "ONE (Greek speaking, Arab influenced) population with one (Byzantine) culture" UNTIL the unexpected arrival of the English King Richard I.



So Cyprus has definitely not always been multi-cultural.



PS. The Crusaders were not just "Brits", they were not British at all. Most of them were born in France or lived in England as French speaking descendants of the French/Norman invaders.

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 21:52

Stu: "Dear PP your reference to "Hostage to History" ..sounds like the history of the Island"



That's the bit I meant.



"can I correctly assume you are Greek Cypriot ?"



Don't you recognise a Leading Hand in the Hellenic Navy when you see one? Pah, why did I bother...

terryW.H.F.C


Joined: 01/12/2008
Posts: 76

Message Posted:
16/12/2008 23:00

OK so some books say one thing and others say some thing else and the same goes for personal views so thats life and every one is intiteld to their own views, but all please rember the war here was back in 1974 and now should be forgotten for all the childrens sacks on the island, yes we all know there should be a agreement between the goverments so the whole island can move on and live in peace once and for all, But all please do not forget all those who lost there lives through out the troubles here in Cyprus.

Stewart


Joined: 19/07/2008
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
17/12/2008 11:12

Dear PP

I am not trying to be nasty but just have an enquiring mind....what was the Hellenic Navy and Airforce, the Yank navy or Brit Airforce based on the Island, doing when the Turks were massing in Mersin, or when they took control of the Kyrenia area for a few days before pressing inland?

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
17/12/2008 11:24

Stewart,



Obviously I was a very small boy in shorts in 1974 and my service was long after that, but I'd say the Hellenic forces put up a good fight when they realised what was happening. Certainly the crews of the two small patrol boats which left Kyrenia harbour to engage the approaching Turkish navy are considered absolute heroes for their sacrifice. We salute them, as we do the doomed soldiers who left Greece for Nicosia in the Noratlas transport planes. The Turks attacked and sank one of their own warships off Paphos, which was a help. Still, all that would never happen again as fascist dictatorships are out of favour in Europe these days.

Stewart


Joined: 19/07/2008
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
17/12/2008 11:40

Dear PP...I salute anyone who fights for what they believe is wrong...I am sorry that you have been insulted during this thread...

FYI..I have many Cypriot friends ( both Turks and Greek, both in the UK and in Cyprus )...all of whom, although they would like to have their property back, would not turnback the clock, giving up everything they have built up since 74 ie go back to working the land...they except, and have "moved on" despite having lost loved ones.

How would you now like the "situation" to be resolved...what would you do about all the new building that has taken place since 74, both North and South?...would you and your family give up everything you have now to go back to property that you might of had pre 74?

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
17/12/2008 18:37

Stu,



Insults are to be expected when you have, with a couple of exceptions, moderators who are biased, indulge in cronyism and are unfit to be milk monitors.



After 34 years there will be many people who won't want to return to where they were before. Also those born since then will have no great desire to go to a strange place where they would feel uneasy.



The new building is a problem which will have to be overcome. All the losers should be compensated and anyone who has gained personally should either have property forfeited or be forced to pay compensation. This will mainly affect people in the north, and I only say it because that is the rule of law everywhere and most knew the risks they were taking.



As for going back to property lost in 1974, Cypriots have a very strong attachment to family lands and it will be hard to block freedom of movement in this day and age and in what is Europe, after all.

gibson335


Joined: 01/11/2008
Posts: 325

Message Posted:
17/12/2008 19:06

With regard to the cronyism, biased outlook and being unfit to be a milk monitor accusation you may now understand why you attract the insults you do



We can but dream!!!!!!!!!!!!

mussy6960


Joined: 18/12/2008
Posts: 2

Message Posted:
19/12/2008 08:48

i cannot believe that people blame turkey for the problems in cyprus when all they did was save the turkish population of being extinct by our so called nieghbours. to get back together would be bloodshed again (because the greeks would not accept us, as we will not accept them anymore. TRUST, we them no way.