Dynamics of Democratization in Unrecognized States: Lessons from Northern Cyprus

Scholars have recently debated if non-recognition is a blessing or a curse for democracy. Some suggest that lack of recognition forces political elites to democratize and acquire internal legitimacy due to lack of external legitimacy. Others suggest that democratization is used as a means by political elites in unrecognized states to acquire recognition from international actors. Some, however, claim that non-recognition obliges these states to rely on a patron state which, in turn, hinders the quality of democracy. To contribute to this discussion, we conduct an in-depth case study. Studying the democratization process in Northern Cyprus, we find that democratization in unrecognized states is possible. The disagreements about the Cyprus problem created the main division in the Turkish Cypriot society and politics. The political parties and the political debates have historically been centered on the future of the Cyprus problem and the principles as well as the parameters to bring a solution to the conflict. The accession of the whole island as the Republic of Cyprus into the European Union after the failure of Annan Plan in 2004 has generated a new/ nascent era in reshaping Turkish Cypriot politics. The salience of the Cyprus problem in constructing and guiding the campaigns, goals and the discourses of the political movements has radically diminished. This created a significant void in the socio-political system and caused the emergence and evolution of other topics such as transparency and accountability, thus, boosting the democratization process. However, this process was constrained by the lack of economic capability and a threat of military action by the parent state which, in turn, hindered the democratization process.