Hostage to History: Cyprus from the Ottomans to Kissinger

Christopher Hitchens's Hostage to History: Cyprus from the Ottomans to Kissinger analyzes the complex history of Cyprus, focusing on the influence of imperial powers. The book traces the island's journey from Ottoman rule, where the Orthodox hierarchy was restored and land rights were granted to Greek peasants, to British administration. During British rule, the demand for enosis (union with Greece) by Greek Cypriots clashed with the Turkish Cypriot desire for partition or retrocession to Turkey. This led to conflict and eventual independence in 1960, but intercommunal tensions persisted, culminating in a Greek-backed coup in 1974 and a subsequent Turkish invasion that divided the island.123