The Politics of Majority Nationalism: Framing Peace, Stalemates, and Crises

271 Pages·2015·1.901 MB·English

by  Neophytos Loizides

The Politics of Majority Nationalism

The Politics of Majority Nationalism
Framing Peace, Stalemates, and Crises
Neophytos Loizides
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
© 2015 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of Stanford University Press.
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free, archival-quality paper
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Loizides, Neophytos, author.
The politics of majority nationalism : framing peace, stalemates, and crises / Neophytos
Loizides.
pages cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-8047-9408-4 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Nationalism—Greece. 2. Nationalism—Turkey. 3. Greece—Foreign
relations—1974– 4. Military Turkey—Foreign relations—1980– 5. Greece—Politics
and government—1974– 6. Turkey—Politics and government—1980– 7. Ethnic
relations—Political aspects—Case studies. 8. Pacific settlement of international
disputes—Case studies. 9. Frames (Sociology). I. Title.
df854.l65 2015
3320.54—dc23 2015005114
isbn 978-0-8047-9633-0 (electronic)
Typeset at Stanford University Press in 10/14 Minion
Contents
Acknowledgments, vii
Preface: Frames, Politicization, and Conflict in the
Eastern Mediterranean, xi
1 The Politics of Majority Nationalism: Regional and
Global Perspectives 1
2 Doves and Hawks: Frames of Peace, Stalemates, and Crises 26
3 Trapped in Nationalism? Symbolic Politics in Greece
and the Macedonian Question 41
4 Europe and (Non-)Accommodation in Turkey:
Framing the Kurds, Syria, and Greece 69
5 Transforming Stalemates into Opportunities for Peace:
Four “Success” Stories 96
6 Serbia, Georgia, and Ukraine: Postcommunist Transitions
and Beyond 125
Conclusion: Why Do Majorities Protest? Global Crises
and the Pursuit of Peace 152
Notes, 169
References, 195
Index, 231

Acknowledgments
Throughout the years I worked on The Politics of Majority Nationalism, I was
very fortunate to receive the support and guidance of my family, various aca-
demic institutions, and some outstanding colleagues in Europe, the Middle
East, and North America.
Several individuals have read earlier versions of the manuscript, or parts
of it, or shared ideas and given feedback, and offered me other substantial
support. I would like to thank, in particular, Adrian Guelke, Ahmet Akkaya,
Anastasiya Salnykova, Andreas Pickel, Antonis Ellinas, Arend Lijphart, Ba-
har Rumelili, Banu Cinkoz, Berna Turam, Betul Çelik, Birikim Özgür, Chares
Demetriou, Christoforos Fokaides, Chrysostomos Pericleous, Costa Carras,
Costa Constanti, David Romano, Elena Korosteleva, Effie Fokas, Elif Ersin, Er-
hun Sahali, Evangelos Liaras, Feargal Cochrane, Florian Bieber, Gözde Küçük,
Gülfer Coşkun, Hadi Elis, Hayriye Kahveci, Iosif Kovras, Ivo Banac, Jeffrey Re-
itz, John Mitsis, John Barry, Joseph Joseph, Karlo Basta, Kemal Kirişci, Kostas
Bakoyannis, Nancy Bermeo, Marc Howard Ross, Marc Herzog, Maria Hadji-
pavlou, Maria Koinova, Marie-Eve Desrosiers, Muzaffer Kutlay, Mustafa Kutlay,
Nikitas Lionarakis, Nikolas Kleanthous, Nikos Anastasiou, Nikos Trimiklini-
otis, Nukhet Sandal, Oded Haklai, Omar McDoom, Panayote Dimitras, Roger
Haydon, Richard English, Richard Sakwa, Şaban Kardaş, Spyridon Kotsovilis,
Stuart J. Kaufman, Şuhnaz Yilmaz, Theodore Couloumbis, Zhidas Daskalovski,
and Ziya Öniş.
Geoffrey Burn, my editor at Stanford University Press, and the designated
referees have taken this book on a provocative but warmly supported intel-
lectual journey. I am very grateful to the press for publishing The Politics of
vii
viii ACknowledgments
Majority Nationalism and for providing insightful comments at all stages of
the review process. I would also like to thank James Holt, John Feneron, Martin
Hanft, and Stacy Wagner from the press for all their timely feedback and sup-
port.
The write-up of the manuscript and fieldwork were supported by grants
from the British Academy, the Leverhulme Trust, and the Social Science and
Humanities Research Council Canada (with Djordje Stefanovic), as well as by
fellowships at the Belfer Center at Harvard University, the Ethnic, Immigra-
tion, and Pluralism Studies Program at the University of Toronto, the Canadian
Commonwealth Scholarship Program, and the Solomon Asch Centre at the
University of Pennsylvania.
I am indebted to Robert Rotberg, Stephen Walt, and Sean Lynn-Jones at the
Kennedy School of Government; Ian Lustick and Brendan O’Leary at the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania; and Thomas Homer-Dixon, Richard Sandbrook, and
Andrew Rossos at the University of Toronto for years of guidance and support.
This book draws partly on earlier publications in Security Dialogue (2002) and
Parliamentary Affairs (2010), for which I would like to thank the editors and
anonymous reviewers for their comments.
The Politics of Majority Nationalism owes much to previous collaborative
work with Djordje Stefanovic, Nukhet Sandal, Oded Haklai, and Iosif Kovras.
John McGarry has shaped my thinking on power-sharing and federalism; many
of the ideas of our coauthored papers on federalizing Ukraine and Cyprus
are reflected in this book. I am also grateful to James Ker-Lindsay and Albina
Ovcearenco (Council of Europe) for supporting my research on Georgia; and
to Alan Leonard and Quintin Oliver for their partnership in several collabora-
tive projects on Northern Ireland, Cyprus, and the former Yugoslavia.
Elizabeth Thompson has edited earlier versions of this manuscript, and I
would like to use this opportunity to acknowledge her always-timely support
for more than a decade of academic writing. Bruce Clark presented some of
the initial ideas of this book in the Economist, while Rosemary Bechler has pro-
vided access for the book’s policy recommendations in openDemocracy. Earlier
contributions on this topic have appeared in the Guardian (March 6, 2014),
Huffington Post (June 12, 2013), and the Wall Street Journal (January 8, 2015,
with Iosif Kovras), as well as in Radikal [in Turkish] (June 17, 2012, with Iosif
Kovras), Eleftherotypia [in Greek] (November 26, 2009), and Hurriyet Daily
News (March 13, 2015).
I benefited from the support of my parents, Maria and George, as well as
ACknowledgments ix
that of my uncle Nicos Toumbas’s family. My family back in Cyprus inspired
my decision to follow an academic career early in my childhood by offering me
a quiet, peaceful home full of books, stimulating conversations, and opportuni-
ties for endless debate.
My wife, Ayşe, and her family in Turkey have assisted me in every respect.
Having a welcoming home in Istanbul has been an invaluable asset in complet-
ing the research for this book. Ayşe’s mother, Filiz Üskül, warmly hosted all the
long stays in Turkey for the purpose of this book, while her father, Zafer Üskül,
shared an insider’s view of Turkish politics gleaned from his time as president
of the Human Rights Commission in the Turkish Parliament. As an expert in
constitutional law, he taught me how to best assess Turkey’s legal and political
complexities, as well as assisting me in arranging interviews in all parts of the
country, from Ankara to Diyarbakir.
Above all, Ayşe has been a compassionate life partner. She supported me as I
completed this manuscript, and, naturally, the book is devoted to her.