The Quiet Revolution in U.S.-Cypriot Relations
Foreign Policy · Alan Makovsky, Jonah Brody ·
As ties with Turkey frayed over the past decade, Washington has drawn closer to Nicosia.
As ties with Turkey frayed over the past decade, Washington has drawn closer to Nicosia.
Since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Washington has almost exclusively seen the island as a problem in need of solution. But that dynamic has now quietly changed. Over the past decade, the Republic of Cyprus (ROC) has positioned itself as a critical security partner for an increasingly receptive United States. The bilateral relationship has gradually expanded to include defense, trade, basing, military training and exercises, crisis-response cooperation, and regular strategic dialogue. Given Cyprus’s strategic location, it is perhaps surprising that the initial impetus for this growing security relationship came from Cyprus, not Washington.
In short, despite its ongoing division, Cyprus is emerging as a security producer for the United States and the West. For Nicosia, this relationship serves as an effective deterrent against any future Turkish threat, which remains the ROC’s primary security preoccupation. Beyond that, deepening ties with the United States help boost Cyprus’s international status and provide cover for its growing arms relationships and other security ties with other states, such as France and Israel. Turkey has watched these developments warily, though so far without a forceful response.
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