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Introduction:
eaching out to other identities can be constructive, argues Helen Chauncey,
of the Coexistence Intitative.
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This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).
Coexisting in Cyprus
Helen Chauncey
The Coexistence Initiative
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Q: So in that sense it sounds like you are including coexistence as conflict
resolution with an emphasis on preserving identity. When I hear coexistence I
think of things like Cyprus where there are two parties in conflict in sort of a
holding pattern. There is not a lot of violence but there is not a lot of
progress. When I hear coexistence I don't think resolution.
A: Our goal is resolution. So let's take Cyprus as an example. Cyprus, as it
now stands, is an example of what we would call "passive coexistence." There is
not a lot of violence right now. That is certainly better than it could be. The
situation is also not resolved. Cyprus is a good example of the piece that is
missing, because a lot of very dedicated effort has gone into trying to figure
out, into trying to move forward into the next step in the context of Cyprus.
One of the arguments we make with relation to a situation such as Cyprus is that
you need to have a way in which you can do more than come up to the line and
look at each other across the line. As you look across the line you say that I
actually want to have the identity of the person on the other side of that line
part of my broader civic and cultural identity. I not only know that I need to
do that because we don't want this stalemate to go on forever, but I would like
to do that. That process would enrich us.
There is a technical process but there
is also, in the long run, one of ways how we know we've gotten there, indicators
is that people will actually demand, actually reach out for and embrace
different identities without fear that is going to cause them to loose their own
identity. You can be what you are and interact with identities different from
yourself without fear of losing your own identity, and in a way that is
constructive to both sides.
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