Nikos Christofis

Since the end of World War II, good relations between Turkey and the U.S. have been thought to be a de facto situation, and indeed for the most part that has been the case. Despite the problems that have erupted between the two countries at times, such as the Cyprus crisis which led to the Johnson letter in 1964, relations between the two countries have generally been on the best of terms. This relationship faced a rocky road following the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the situation is still vague as the power game in the Middle East is being played out in Syria. Because of recent developments, especially those following the end of the Cold War, most studies tend to see Turkish-American relations through a prism that focuses on geopolitics, foreign policy and international relations.

When Greeks and Turks Meet, a collection of essays compiled under the editorship of Vally Lytra, who pens also the historical and theoretical introductory essay of the volume, is the product of collaboration between the Centre for Hellenic Studies at King’s College London and the Turkish Studies programme at SOAS. The volume is a strong, successful move forward in de-mythologizing the dominant historiographical narratives of Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus, whose intertwined histories have led the countries to see each other as natural enemies engaged in a perpetual state of conflict. The fourteen essays in the volume are divided into three parts, and the essays take up varying perspectives ranging from history and international relations to linguistics and literature.