Ambivalence in a Divided City

Visiting Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus was an experience I looked forward to while I was preparing for the trip. Before I left for the trip, I spent some time researching Cyprus and tried to develop an opinion on the Cyprus conflict. I expected Nicosia to back up some of my original thoughts regarding the conflict, but when I arrived in Nicosia, I had come to realize the depth of my Western bias.

Instead of confirming my thoughts about the Cyprus problem, I found myself more conflicted than I was when I left in May. Experiencing Turkey first-hand and through the eyes of Turkish friends shifted my view of the Ottoman empire and Turkey as well. Istanbul was no longer invaded in 1453; it was captured. Whether or not the Byzantine's were in the right is an issue for specific consideration, before the trip, I chalked up justice on the Western side with the exception of a limited set of events like the crusades. With a more informed view of Turkey, I had different ideas about the justice in Turkey and Greece's actions leading up to and following the division of the island.