Northern Cyprus

This chapter tells the story of the independence effort in Northern Cyprus. It showcases the tactical options that are both available and unavailable to de facto state movements, and provides a cautionary tale for what happens when a secessionist region is separated from the rest of the state. The chapter discusses the tactics of the Northern Cypriots which are characterized by an inability to compel the home state using violence, nonviolence, and electoral capture, and then examines how they focused on defense, deterrence, and the keeping of the territory they possess instead. The chapter unveils how they demonstrated to the world that they are an empirical state that has earned sovereign recognition. It also investigates the calcified, frozen, and externalized conflict in Northern Cyprus, and assesses the impact of intricate diplomatic relations and geopolitical complexity. Ultimately, the chapter provides an illustration of how some independence movements, notably in the case of Northern Cyprus, are forced to play the sovereignty game. Although they have won their autonomy, their freedom, and their security, the victory is incomplete, as the Northern Cypriots know, because they are caught in a twilight state between reintegration and full statehood.