The US reluctance to call Turkey’s presence in Cyprus an occupation

This summer will mark 50 years since Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus, and for the last five decades tens of thousands of Turkish occupation troops have been present in the northern part of the island. 50 years later, the US still refuses to officially recognize Turkey’s illegal occupation as an occupation.

Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum, joins Thanos Davelis to argue that recognizing Turkey’s presence in Cyprus as an occupation will only strengthen America’s position in the region, especially at a time when Nicosia is stepping up and punching above its weight as an indispensable partner.