Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Greek-Turkish Conflict in the Aegean: Imagined Enemies by Alexis Heraclides

2011; Wiley; Volume: 17; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1469-8129.2011.00528_4.x

1354-5078

Ekavi Athanassopoulou,

International Relations and Foreign Policy

New Perspectives on South-East Europe Series . New York : Palgrave Macmillan , 2010 . 288 pp . £57.50 (hbk) . Since 1999 relations between Turkey and Greece have improved, but the contentious issues are unresolved. Nor are there signs that Athens and Ankara may be close to reaching a solution. This book by Alexis Heraclides focuses on the Aegean conflict, the central bone of contention between them, which involves sovereign rights in the Aegean seabed and its subsoil, over the territorial sea and national airspace. This is, relatively speaking, a low intensity dispute. Nonetheless, it has brought the two countries to the brink of war in 1976, in 1987 and in 1996. It has also been a long-time irritant for NATO since it was perceived to weaken its southern flank. Since the 1990s it has become a concern also for the EU because it is another factor affecting Turkey's relationship with the union. The first part of the book presents the national Greek and Turkish narratives of each other. This is a most pleasant surprise because most studies of the Turkish-Greek conflict tend to devote only a few paragraphs, if any, to this important element behind it. Heraclides, however, quite rightly considers it as part and parcel of the Aegean dispute and the wider Greek-Turkish rivalry. The second part offers a full historical account of the Aegean conflict. Those not easily satisfied with just a broad outline of the major events but look for essential details will find this section particularly rewarding. While a lot of the data is known Heraclides also offers a host of new information based on archival work and interviews. This produces a more nuanced understanding of each side's expectations and attitudes in the 1970s, when the Aegean conflict seriously broke out. The last chapter in this section deals with current history. It examines the more recent developments in the bilateral relationship and renewed efforts to settle the Aegean conflict, offering the reader details little known to the broader public. The Aegean dispute is a political issue that revolves around central questions of sovereignty, national interests, balance of power, and identity. However, it has acquired important legal dimensions because both sides have taken refuge in international law in order to safeguard and/or legitimize their positions. Heraclides, who clearly wishes to present as full an account as possible of the dispute, presents the legal dimension in the third part of his book. Though he is not an international law expert he uses carefully the works written by Greek and Turkish experts and manages to present a good overview of each side's case without exhausting the reader with too many legalistic details. The fourth and last part is entitled ‘What is to be Done?’ Here the author proceeds with examining prospects for the settlement of the conflict. He identifies two alternative options: (a) putting the settlement of the Aegean conflict on ice and let economic cooperation do the rest; (b) resolving the Aegean dispute by way of a deal on the basis of various compromises that address mutual interests and fears. Heraclides doubts the ability of the first option to bring about self-standing results. He is also skeptical about the second option. In his mind, the crux of the dispute is that Greece regards Turkey as aggressive and in the throes of expansionism. Turkey, for its part, considers Greece in the throes of the Megali Idea wanting to render the whole of the Aegean a ‘Greek lake’. Therefore he thinks that the scenario that most likely will materialize is the one he calls ‘the long haul’ (p. 231), that is no settlement in the foreseeable future, not because the problems are insolvable but because of mutual misperceptions, hatred and demonization of the other. And so we come full circle back to the ideas in presented in the first part of the book. Imagined Enemies is an important addition to the list of works on the topic in question. It has two main strengths. Firstly it provides a balanced account of the perspectives of each side - something rare, with very few notable exceptions, among those studies that profess to offer an understanding of Turkish-Greek relations. Secondly, it offers a very thorough account of the Aegean dispute, while most studies concern themselves with the broader Turkish-Greek conflict. Its extensive bibliography is also a contribution in itself as it includes almost everything worth reading on the subject. Alexis Heraclides, a professor of conflict resolution, has a proven record of critical thinking regarding Greek-Turkish relations. This book is no exception. Imagined Enemies concludes that the lack of resolve of the Aegean dispute is not due ‘to the incompatibility of interests as such, but the mutual suspicions and fears that are deeply rooted in historical memories’ (p. 243). While Heraclides chose not to elaborate on the Turkish and Greek identity formation and its impact on Turkey's and Greece's foreign policy, as this would have involved a much more extensive analysis than he apparently wanted to undertake, his book reminds us that the identity dimension should be an indispensable part of our understanding of the reasons behind the long-lasting conflict. However, if the effects of culture and national identities on foreign policy should not be overlooked a macro-level approach equally should not be neglected. Curiously the author does not attempt to examine – even in order to reject it – the effect that national attributes and the international system may have had on the policy of the two countries. But this is a small quarrel with a very thorough, thoughtful and well written work. Heraclides is an engaging writer with the ability to delve into political and historical developments and draw interesting inferences and conclusions. His major contribution is that he establishes a long needed balanced approach to the Turkish-Greek dispute. This is a study that will serve as a valuable overview for scholars and policy makers interested in probing the challenges that the Aegean conflict generates, as well as for students of Greek and Turkish foreign policy.