Greek foreign policy towards Turkey under PASOK rule of 1981 – 1989

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the impact of the Cyprus issue, Aegean dis putes and minority conflicts on Greek foreign policy towards Turkey un der PASOK rule between 1981 and 1989. The continuity of traditional Greek expansionist motivation and its reflections on the foreign policy strategies of PASOK governments during the 1980s; the populism created with the dramatization of Cyprus issue around Turkey’s political and mil itary presence on Cyprus island; PASOK’s nationalist discourse on Cyprus and attempts to internationalize the Cyprus conflict as part of geopoliti cal strategies of Greek foreign policy towards Turkey; its post-modern approaches to Aegean disputes through continental shelf and territorial waters issues and instrumentalization of the Turkish Minority in Greece in the bilateral relations with Turkey constitute the main focal points of the study. These issues are evaluated with the developments in Greco Turkish relations in a historical context of geopolitical conjuncture. This dissertation is mainly based on documents from the Greek and Turkish archives, and, analysis of Greek scholars in order to construct a framework by understanding the mainstream approaches to Greco-Turk ish conflicts in the Greek academic circle. The dissertation argues that traditional Greek extensionist policies, which arise from the well-known Megali Idea phenomenon, have a continuous character which has ef fected every generation of Greek ruling elite throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The work shows that the continuity of traditional Megali Idea in a post-modern character was one of the most dominant element in shaping PASOK’s foreign policy strategies towards Turkey during its ruling period between 1981 and 1989. In this respect, although PASOK ap peared as a political movement challenging the established order in Greece, it has adopted Greek nationalism and the traditional features of Greek foreign policy and transformed itself to a mainstream political ac tor embracing the national issues instead of the socio-economic prob lems of the Greek society. In that sense, the study is trying to uncloak the reasons of the motivation behind PASOK’s instrumentalization of Cyprus, Aegean and minority issues in the historical context of Greco-Turkish re lations.