Us Policy On Greek-Turkish Disputes During The Cyprus Crisis Of 1974

The Cyprus crisis of 1974 was a major conflict caused by the Cyprus problem.During the crisis,Greece and Turkey were both major dispute parties and important NATO allies of the United States.If members of the alliance are involved in the international crisis and cause confrontation and conflict,it is possible to jeopardize the Internal operation and maintenance of the alliance.In the Cyprus crisis,the Greek and Turkish allies unwillingly retreated,fiercely confronted each other on the internal affairs of the Cyprus,and even reached on the verge of war.The United States,as the leader of NATO,tried to avoid the war between the two NATO members.The outbreak of Greece-Turkey war can not only affect the unity within NATO and the stability of the southeastern wing of the NATO and the Eastern Mediterranean,but also provide an opportunity for the Soviet Union to intervene in the crisis and create cracks within NATO.What's more,It can seriously challenge the American leadership and alliance management capabilities.So with the deepening of the crisis,the US gradually adjust to its policy of the Greek-Turkish dispute.In the early and middle stages of the crisis,US chose to strictly abide by neutrality and did not take a position on the content and solution of Greek and Turkish dispute,and urged both parties to keep restraint and avoid escalating crisis.In order to ease the crisis,US expected that Greece and Turkey can compromise each other and peacefully resolve disputes.During the early period,the tendency of the Nixon administration's pro-Greek military government influenced the US's policy toward the Greek-Turkish dispute.After the Cyprus coup,US adopted a wait-and-see policy,waited for the situation to become clear,and tried to persuade Turkey not to use force so as to prevent the Greek-Turkish military conflict.US firmly believed owing to American heavy pressure and power,Turkey,as an ally of the NATO,would still choose to abandon its military intervention in Cyprus.US still owned sufficient and effective means of restraining Turkey.Contrary to the will of US,this seemingly neutral position stimulated the determination of Turkish military invasion.Disappointed Turkey launched a military offense against Cyprus.Turkey tried to implement a reverse control to US by military action,and prompted the United States to change its policy.In view of the American-Turkish alliance relationship,till the middle and late stages of the crisis,American policy of the dispute gradually turned to limited intervention.However,this policy adjustment did not afford US an effectiveleverage to influence Turkish behavior.What's worse,it resulted in the extreme dissatisfaction of Greek.In Greece,domestic anti-American sentiment highly grew.And Greece decided to withdraw from NATO's military integration organization.US faced a increasingly worse situation.To maintain the unity of the alliance and its leadership,US actively mediated and promoted the Greek-Turkish negotiations.Unfortunately,until the end of the crisis,American mediations still didn't make substantial progresses.Finally,under the impulsion of the American Greek,American congress passed a resolution to impose an arms embargo on Turkey.US changed its policy from mediation to sanction.The American-Turkish relationship was facing an unprecedented crisis,and the improvement of the American-Greek relationship did not acquire sufficient impetus.The Turkish arms embargo failed to achieve the expected goal of resolving differences,instead,it delayed the successful settlement of Greek-Turkish disputes.In terms of the Cyprus issue,US has not found a way to alleviate the Cyprus crisis and prevent the Greek-Turkish confrontation.Instead,US has alienated both Greece and Turkey.In the 1974 crisis,the US fell into a hopeless and helpless situation,most importantly,the policy adjustment of the Greek-Turkish disputes failed to achieve the goal of protecting NATO's internal unity and American leadship.Greece and Turkey,as NATO's allies,have considerable dependence on US,but they often ignore American wishes and demands.When considering own significant interest,they also adopt helpful and "selfish" policies.These reflect the defects and complexities of American internal influence and alliance management capabilities in NATO.