International paradox
One can only welcome the fact that the Turkish-Cypriot authorities are removing the bridge next to the UN buffer zone that has been the cause of so much frustration among Greek Cypriots. But one is struck by the reaction of the Turkish military to the removal of the divisive bridge: The military of an EU candidate state wants to manipulate affairs in a nation that is already a member of the bloc. This paradox is the outgrowth of an even broader paradox in international relations since an EU candidate country is occupying territory of a bloc member. Worse, the occupying nation needs the permission of the occupied state to join the Union. Occupying armies are jarring notes in an international system driven by the process of globalization. The first step to solving the Cyprus issue is the departure of every last Turkish soldier from the divided island.
