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The Foreign Policy of the Republic of Cyprus pp 343–362Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Foreign Policy Maturity and Grand Strategy: The Way Forward for the Republic of Cyprus

Part of the Reform and Transition in the Mediterranean book series (RTM)

Abstract

This chapter assesses the “maturity” of the Republic of Cyprus’ (RoC) foreign policy and examines whether the RoC has—or is able to develop—grand strategic capacities. The author argues that the Cyprus Problem has been inevitably and negatively affecting grand strategic formulation in the RoC even as it complicates and hinders the country’s day-to-day foreign policy and diplomatic practice. From this perspective, the popular understanding that the RoC can have long-term foreign policies or a grand strategy without the resolution of the Cyprus Problem is questioned. At the same time, it is argued that the RoC should not stop engaging in capacity building and a pro-active foreign policy while having the resolution of the Cyprus Problem as a strategic objective.

Keywords

  • Foreign policy maturity
  • Grand strategy
  • Institutional capacities
  • Small states
  • Republic of Cyprus

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Fig. 14.1

Notes

  1. 1.

    A similar idea is put forward by Liddell Hart who argued that Clausewitz’s definition of strategy “narrows the definition of ‘strategy’ to the pure utilization of battle, thus conveying the idea that battle is the only means to the strategical end,” see Hart (1991, 319).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PRIO Cyprus Centre, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Zenonas Tziarras

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  1. Zenonas Tziarras
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Correspondence to Zenonas Tziarras .

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  1. Nicosia, Cyprus

    Dr. Zenonas Tziarras

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Tziarras, Z. (2022). Foreign Policy Maturity and Grand Strategy: The Way Forward for the Republic of Cyprus. In: Tziarras, Z. (eds) The Foreign Policy of the Republic of Cyprus. Reform and Transition in the Mediterranean. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91177-5_14

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