EC EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SUMMER PROGRAMS: The take aways of Cyprus

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

The take aways of Cyprus

After spending the last few days in Cyprus I have taken away a great deal. Before I go into the academics, I was really impressed with the islands beauty and delicious food. The options seemed a numerous and the capital felt very cosmopolitan which I think reflects not only the character of the Eastern Mediterranean as begin a crossroads, but also its colonial legacy. Listening in on the lectures I was able to integrate what we had gone over in class with the detailed lectures that were given. Early on in the course in our paper I had argued that energy is not a democratizing agent and that it often bred the opposite. Getting to see the lecturer in Nicosia talk about the Iranian case with Britain and the United States in the 50s was illustrative of how oil can be a hotly contested commodity and its geopolitical significance. Getting to see the buffer zone and being toured by a UN peace keeper was very fun and as someone that participates in Model UN I think it really put in perspective for me that the United Nations is not some abstract institution but one that actively engaged in many areas of conflict and division. Seeing the armored white UN labeled vehicles really made it very real for me. Understanding how the conflict has distanced the two sides between the Turkish north and Greek south has shown how it would be very difficult for the island to come together as they have now been socialized differently and the demographics in the north have drastically changed the population since when the conflict erupted decades ago. Learning about the nature of the conflict and the islands overall history showed how it has faced a fate of becoming a pawn in larger geopolitical arrangement. Traveling around the island I noticed how much more arid it looked than in Greece. It became evident to me that the threat of desertification and loss of water resources is a serious crisis in the region and that if it seems bad there the situation has to be more desperate further south where the climate is much more arid in North Africa. Overall reflecting on the interventions there and the problems the island faces otherwise has shown myself personally that the region as a whole shares these terrible divisions and environmental pressures that threaten to totally rip apart the existing structures in the region. It is easier now to imagine why individuals are fleeing states in Africa and the Middle East as the situation in these places are absolutely dire and seeing this play out made that very evident.

1 comment:

UnknownJune 21, 2017 at 5:22 AM
Some really great points!

Seeing the effects of Desertification while we were driving in also helped put things into perspective for me. While we were on the bus, I immediately noticed that the constantly changing shades of green that we saw in Crete were replaced by sandy hills and barren land. However, and while I know we only experienced the tourist side of Cypriot tourism, it didn't seem to put a dent in their delicious cuisine!

On your comment on desertification and lack of water, I thought about that a lot while I was there, particularly because we had just gone through a brief water shortage at the institute. I think being in Greece, learning about the water crisis and then getting a small taste of what its like to have little to no access to clean running water not only fit in nicely with the schedule, but helped us identify with the community just a little bit more than we had before.
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EC Eastern Security Studies Program

In the summer of 2011, as the "Arab Spring" was unfolding and the "Eurozone Crisis" was entering its second year, the Emmanuel College Eastern Mediterranean Security Studies Program was established in Crete, as a way to make the location the classroom. Beyond the grand theoretical, historical and political understanding that can be achieved through reading and classroom discussion and exchange, a more immediate, intimate and truer appreciation of the complexities can only achieved by experiencing the cultures, languages of personal interaction.

Since 2012 students have been able to combine an intensive curricular study, with the experience of immersion and living in a local setting. The geopolitical and geoeconomic forces that have acted in the region for centuries, can be identified in the classroom, but they can only be understood by being there. This year's EC EMSS Program will add a fourth week of study, experience and exploration and will also travel to the islands of Rhodes, and Cyprus. In Rhodes we will be partnering with the Prefecture of Southern Aegean and the Aegean University, while in Cyprus we will be hosted by the University of Nicosia.