Diana Chigas: Building Sustainable Peace on Cyprus
ABSTRACT

To seek a solution to the Cyprus problem is, in the words of one commentator on Northern Ireland, ``to pursue a mirage in the desert.'' Protracted, or ``intractable,'' conflicts such as the Cyprus conflict develop an escalatory, self-perpetuating dynamic of their own, independent of the main substantive or originating issues. The conflict becomes ``institutionalized'' in the minds, hearts, behaviors, structures and culture of the parties. These self-perpetuating patterns of thinking and behavior must be broken if a sustainable resolution is to be reached. Despite the current stalemate and recent failure of bi-communal talks, a vibrant and growing bi-communal movement of citizens from a wide range of sectors has begun to lay the groundwork for a sustainable resolution to the Cyprus problem. This presentation will discuss the growth of this "bi-communal movement" and its impact on the prospects for sustainable peace on the island.

Diana Chigas: Biographical Note