invited book chapter in March L. and Keith L.
(eds), The radical Left and the crisis
Abstract:
The Left and the crisis in Cyprus is a
particularly interesting topic to investigate because the Left
happened to head the government at the time when the crisis unfolded
and because the crisis in Cyprus developed with intense rapidity and
severity. This chapter discusses the relationship of the Cypriot Left
and the economic crisis in three inter-linked dimensions: a) the
response of the AKEL to the crisis in terms of discourse and action
while holding state executive power, b) the stance of the AKEL while
being in opposition and c) the impact of the crisis on the Left's
support base, including AKELian intellectual production. Whereas the
first two dimensions correspond to two temporally different
modalities and are externally oriented in the sense of examining
policies and rhetoric, the third one assumes a unified moment and an
inward perspective attempting to tap on the actual impact of the
crisis in socio-economic, organisational and ideological terms on the
Left's rank and file members and voters alike.
Gregoris Ioannou and Giorgos Charalambous
