Traditional resistance
There is no doubt that a significant proportion of those who opposed the Annan plan, both in Greece and Cyprus, did so chiefly for sentimental reasons, in traditional resistance to foreign pressures. More specifically, the «no» was directed at US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen and – by extension – all those who exerted pressure. Once again, a significant portion of the population reaffirmed its conviction that whatever is proposed to us by the Americans – and generally by «those in power» – is treacherous and detrimental. Of course, they were also influenced by certain political groupings in both Cyprus and Greece who justified their opposition to the Annan plan by maintaining that it was a US-inspired «product.» The same stance was maintained by certain non-political figures who asked the people to «cry a resounding ‘no’» to those who seek to undermine our national independence. The fact that this stance was adopted by representatives from both extremes of the political spectrum, in both Greece and Turkey, merely reaffirms how patriotism is distorted when confused by xenophobia and its opposite, xenomania. The moment that one starts believing that US foreign policy is developed and exercised with the aim of undermining Greece, then one will be inclined to seek out other foreign protectors on whom it can rely to protect its national interests…
