Critiques of the book CYPRUS, the Post-Imperial Constitution.
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2009

Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, New York, Tel. 1-917-699-9935

NEW YORK--The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) distributes the following critiques of the false historical revisionist booklet/pamphlet “CYPRUS, the Post-Imperial Constitution” by V.K.Fouskas and A.O.Tackie. The Traditional Enemies of the Truth who pushed the pro-Turkish Annan Plan, aiming to forever de-Hellenize and surrender Cyprus to Turkey, are now set at work writing and promoting booklets for a new and improved “Cypriot “ Plan.

Vasilis Fouskas is not of Cypriot origin or heritage, his bio, and his booklet, are on the Turkish website, www.beyoglu.pandora.tr, Is, (in the Turk’s own words) as follows; “Vassilis K. Fouskas teaches international relations at Piraeus University. His grandparents were Greeks from the Western Asia Minor cities of Ayvalik and Edremit. In 1922 they moved to the island of Lesvos, following the aborted Anglo-Greek attempt to eradicate Turkey and Islam fom Anatolia. Vassilis has thus grown up in a refugee family environment which, fortunately for him, praised the friendship of Turkish and Greek peoples while damning Western imperialism. Vassilis' work has been translated into more than ten languages.”

When the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs in London had asked for contributions on ideas and comments on the Cyprus issue Fouskas publically responded after Greek-Cypriot rejection of the Annan plan. In his statement provided as written evidence, he stated the following arguments that promote illegal economic development for Turks:

“Thus, Cyprus represents a unique challenge for the EU in that it provides the best testing ground for the implementation of the acquis throughout the island. This, first and foremost, can begin by boosting the social economy of the North… Britain … should assist Turkish Cypriots economically and in terms of reintegrating them with the Greek Cypriots.” Remarked Fouskas to the Select Committee.

One more piece of information: Fouskas started his English career with Kingston University and that is where he met Tackie a fellow academic at the University, and together co-wrote this booklet. His studies were in economics.

Fanoulla Argyrou, a Greek-Cypriot refugee activist, journalist and author who has lived in the UK since the 1970s told us “Takie is a total foreigner to the Cyprus issue. The only connection he has is the fact that he was born in Haringey, North London, an area with a big Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot population – as far as the Greek Cypriots are concerned, in their majority they are supporters of the British Labour Party (and AKEL of Cyprus). Haringey is considered as a stronghold of the Greek Cypriot supporters of the Labour Party.

As far as I know his parents are not Cypriots. “Says Fanoulla Argyrou. (Read Fanoulla Argrou’s review of the Fouskas/Tackie booklet on the website of TA NEA newspaper of London:

http://web.mac.com/tanea_london/TANEAonLINE/Salt-Pepper2.html    )

Meet Mr. Tackie, the answer to the Cyprus problem, here:

http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/faculty/staff/cv.php?staffnum=65

AKEL, incidentially, is the Communist party of Cyprus.

In fact, Tackie is not even born to Greek-Cypriot (or Greek) parents, his heritage is from Ghana. A sad commentary on the state of affairs for the official Cypriot “lobby” is this new reliance on a writer, who laces his booklet with the word “bullshit” (literally), to provide the answer as to how to deal with the Turks.

Regardless, it was AKTINA FM (recipient of government monies and community monies) and its reporter Demetrios Rhompotis
(writer of “NEO” a magazine glossy of photo-ops flooded with Cypriot “lobby” ad money) in New York, that rushed to promote Tackie’s and Fouskas’ solution to the Cyprus problem.

In the interest of educational purposes and fair play we provide the following critique by Leonidas Leonidou of “CYPRUS, the Post-Imperial Constitution by V.K.Fouskas and A.O.Tackie”.

(THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IS REPRODUCED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES)

A critique on the book CYPRUS, the Post-Imperial Constitution
by V.K.Fouskas and A.O.Tackie

This 110 pages booklet was published earlier this year. The whole philosophical approach of the book is based on the wrong assumptions and shows a superficial understanding of the Cyprus issue and history in general.

It is evident that the authors, in one stream of their thoughts, start from their wrong conclusion that the Cyprus problem can only be resolved by two leftist community leaders and make a desperate attempt to prove it right by the use of their “humbug” and “bullshit” theories.

The book suggests that the Cyprus issue and the de facto situation ended as a bicommunal dispute and not an issue of invasion, occupation of one country by another resulting in the violation of many basic human rights. By doing so it reduces the impact and the full control that Turkey exerts on the Turkish Cypriots and suggests that the goodwill of the two leaders could solve the problem.

It also puts aside the issue of the continued violation by Turkey of the founding agreements of the Republic of Cyprus including that of sovereignty the restoration of which the neighbouring country used as pretext for the invasion of Cyprus.

There are too many historic inaccuracies. I mention here a couple: The 1950 Referendum was not for self-determination but for Enosis and was not done by Archbishop Makarios II and not III. George Papandreou sent an army division in 1964 in a desperate Greek attempt to face the almost daily invasion threats made by Turkey and not for a regime change. It also suggests that in 1964 the Americans sent General Grivas to Cyprus in order to implement the Acheson plan. This constitutes a gross inaccuracy of the historic facts. Grivas rejected the Acheson plan.

One other inexcusable simplification in the book is the parallelizing of TMT with the action of the EOKA campaign. Yet the differences are so fundamental and obvious even to those unacquainted with the island’s history.

But the most sticking omission of this study is the failure to highlight a fundamental difference: In Cyprus, an 18% minority taking advantage of these policies and of the political inadequacies of the 82% Greek majority leadership managed to drive Cyprus into a political turmoil for almost a century and achieve their unfounded, unjust and inhuman goal: partition, created by the British imperialistic and Turkish expansionist foreign policies. On the other hand the exercise of the right of Self determination was a moral and just process in resolving majority-minority issues. It was guaranteed for the small nations by the Atlantic (1941) and Potomac (1954) charters. In 1939 Turkey applied it to annex Alexandreta with only a majority of 57% and Britain masterminded its application for Gibraltar to stay British in 2002 and 2005 with a majority of 60%.

In summary, the historic inaccuracies and the shallow understanding of the Cyprus issue by the authors puts a shadow on what they set out to do i.e. that the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots is a fallacy. Yet, for an expert analyst this should not present such a difficult task.


Leonidas Leonidou
author

London June 2009
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