Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Cultures Of Rioting And Anti-Systemic Movements In Southern Europe, Katia Andronikidou, Iosif Kovras
Cultures Of Rioting And Anti-Systemic Movements In Southern Europe, Katia Andronikidou, Iosif Kovras
Iosif Kovras
The article investigates why, despite similar background conditions, Greece has been the site of frequent, highly visible, fringe, anti-system politics and street riots, while similar phenomena are rare in Spain. Although the article’s focal point is the eruption of the December 2008 riots in Athens, it sheds light on the two countries’ diverse social reactions to the sovereign debt crisis. Deploying the tool of media framing, it argues that historical legacies and political cultures matter. In the Greek case, the transition to democracy shaped a political ‘culture of sympathy’ towards acts of resistance to the state, a culture that has …
Delinkage Processes And Grassroots Movements In Transitional Justice, Iosif Kovras
Delinkage Processes And Grassroots Movements In Transitional Justice, Iosif Kovras
Iosif Kovras
Transitional justice literature has highlighted a negative relationship between enforced disappearances and reconciliation in post-conflict settings. Little attention has been paid to how human rights issues can become stepping-stones to reconciliation. The article explains the transformation of the Cypriot Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) from an inoperative body into a successful humanitarian forum, paving the way for the pro-rapprochement bi-communal grassroots mobilization of the relatives of the missing. By juxtaposing the experience of Cyprus with other societies confronting similar problems, the article shows how the issue of the missing can become a driving force for reconciliation. The findings indicate that …
Non-Apologies And Prolonged Silences In Post-Conflict Settings: The Case Of Post-Colonial Cyprus, Kathleen Ireton, Iosif Kovras
Non-Apologies And Prolonged Silences In Post-Conflict Settings: The Case Of Post-Colonial Cyprus, Kathleen Ireton, Iosif Kovras
Iosif Kovras
Despite the growing use of apologies in post-conflict settings, cases of non-apology remain unaddressed and continue to puzzle scholars. This article focuses on the absence of apology by non-state and anti-state actors by examining the case of the Cypriot armed group EOKA, which has refused to offer an apology to the civilian victims of its ‘anti-colonial’ struggle (1955–1959). Using field data and parliamentary debates, and drawing on comparisons, this article analyses the factors that contributed to a lack of apology. It is argued that the inherited timelessness of Greek nationalism, and the impression of a perpetual need for defence, set …
Protracted Peace Processes: Policy (Un)Learning And The Cyprus Debacle, Iosif Kovras, Neophytos Loizides
Protracted Peace Processes: Policy (Un)Learning And The Cyprus Debacle, Iosif Kovras, Neophytos Loizides
Iosif Kovras
The article examines why a comprehensive settlement to resolve the Cyprus problem has yet to be reached despite the existence of a positive incentive structure and the proactive involvement of regional and international organizations, including the European Union and the United Nations. To address this question, evidence from critical turning points in foreign policy decision-making in Turkey, Greece and the two communities in Cyprus is drawn on. The role of hegemonic political discourses is emphasized, and it is argued that the latter have prevented an accurate evaluation of incentives that could have set the stage for a constructive settlement. However, …