MedByzantine wrote:It’s all about AGENDAS. Enough time has passed, Cypriots in the North and South should forget bitter feuds, the vicious cycle of vengeance focus on their own sides, and decide their own futures without the need for approval from Greece Turkey, EU and NATO for what is done on the island. It’s a small place with no significant threat to the World, but various powers are all looking to use Cyprus for their own benefits, political, military and economic gains.
As for Makarios being charismatic, leaders past and present has had some kind of charisma; Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Mussolini, John F. Kennedy, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caeser, all had charisma and in some peoples’ minds even Osama Bin Ladin supposedly has charisma, even reporters for CNN who interviewed Osama Bin Ladin say he had some kind of charisma . Leaders wouldn’t be leaders without some kind of charisma. It is whether a leader has good or bad intentions to others and a sense of fairness and equality that defines a good leader.
While I agree entirely with your opening paragraph and endorse your views fully , I must not only disagree with your assessment on Makarios but must also express my utter horror at the flippancy with which you dismiss charismatic leadership as a non virtue since varying degree of charisma is apparent with most leaders.
No Sir , Makarios was the ONLY ethnarch the nation had at the time , remembering that through out our history we were never allowed the privilege to cultivate our own political spheres , hence the Archbishop was indeed a natural ethnarch for the people.
He was NEVER a communist , he made dreadful mistakes due to his lack of diplomatic skills , but never a communist.
As far as Makarios's intentions one can only say that he endeavoured to do for his people , the overwhelming majority of Cypriots , what they considered to have been their goal , union with Greece.
Ultimately his position changed in line with the position of most G/Cs , the rest is history.
