Dr Constantinos Adamides, Assistant Professor of the School of Law of the University of Nicosia, published his new book: “Securitization and Desecuritization Processes in Protracted Conflicts: The Case of Cyprus (Palgrave Macmillan 2020), pp. XXIII, 196”.
Dr Adamides’ book contributes to the theoretical understanding of securitization in protracted conflict environments, or −in other words− how persistent threats contribute to the continuation of the conflict and how the latter, in turn, contributes to the resilience of the threat perceptions. Specifically, using the Cyprus conflict as a case study, this book examines how the securitization process in protracted conflict environments changes, as it becomes routinized and potentially even institutionalized. Thus, the process should no longer be limited to the mainstream top-down path, as it also follows a horizontal and even bottom-up direction, which inevitably has an impact on the goals and securitization options of both the mainstream securitizing actors and the audience(s). Furthermore, on a theoretical level it examines how the multi-directional securitization forces have an impact on the elite and audience-driven desecuritization efforts and ultimately on the prospects for conflict resolution.
The book’s case study, the Cyprus question, offers an alternative reading of the forces overshadowing the specific conflict, by focusing on Cyprus-specific resilient threats, how they are dominating much of the political and societal discourses in the media, and how they may limit the political and media elite options. In addition to the theoretical chapters, the book also dedicates one chapter on how the regional hydrocarbons developments further complicate the already deeply securitized environment, and another chapter on the society-initiated desecuritization efforts and why they are unlikely to have the wanted impact on the resolution of the conflict. The theoretical and empirical contribution of the book could be of interest to those focusing on security studies, the Cyprus question, and/or protracted conflicts.
The book is published by Palgrave Macmillan. For more information, you may visit the publisher’s website.
