Abstract

The author focuses on the actions of Washington and Paris during the escalation of the Greek-Turkish conflict in Cyprus in 1967–1975. This conflict is regarded not as a local and regional one or as an object of the foreign policy of the United States and France, but as a clash of opposing ideologies of “Atlantic solidarity” and “Europeanism” representing the countries of Western Europe as an independent decision-making centre. The aim of the research is to evaluate the efficiency of the methods and means employed by Washington and Paris for implementing these guiding principles. In the Greek-Turkish conflict, European solidarity, promoted by France, was expressed through the boycott of the pro- American and Atlantic military dictatorship that came to power in Athens. France secretly supported Turkey within the context of its rapprochement with Muslim countries. The United States labored to prevent an aggravation of the conflict between Ankara and Athens and provided both countries with military and economic support, although with a tilt towards Greece. The escalation of the Cyprus conflict in summer of 1974 and attempts at its quick resolution in 1974–1975 entirely changed the situation: Athens became anti-American and anti-Atlantic after leaving NATO. France strived to tie Greece to itself, promising its own and pan-European support. However, Turkey unexpectedly did not turn to the pillar of the United States in the conflict. Such a shift in the US politics gave France a chance, after its failure to consolidate Europeans around Greece, to try to gain a foothold there. Instead, this attempt dispersed French forces and remained fruitless. Meanwhile, the US having the preponderance of force, political and economic resources did not allow Turkey and Greece to get out of the US control. Having revisited the struggle of France and the USA for the influence over these two Mediterranean countries during the Cyprus conflict, the author concludes that the Western Europe, led by Paris, was unable to offer an attractive and effective alternative to Atlantic solidarity in the period.