Legacy of Anastasiades seems to be dominating the political scene in Cyprus in the coming term as well. Early favorites of the Presidential race, DISY's Neophytou, currently independent Christodoules and AKEL's potential candidate Mavroyiannis have been the aces of Anastasiades' team during his rule. In this episode of Nicosia Uncut, Andromachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykallı shed a critical light on the system that fails to generate strong alternative candidates backed by the leading political parties in Cyprus. The latest meltdown of institutions and the system in the Turkish Cypriot political was also discussed.

In this episode of Nicosia Uncut Andromachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykallı discuss how Turkey is firming its grip in the Turkish Cypriot politics as the right-wing coalition of UBP leader Dr Faiz Sucuoğlu collapses yet again due to his apparent fall-out with cabinet members supported by Turkey's AKP leadership. True, this is not the first time Turkey is interfering in the Turkish Cypriot politics but the extend in which Turkey's AKP leadership is involved in deciding the cabinet names is rather new. In the Greek Cypriot politics, opposition AKEL is still trying to decide on its candidate as the former negotiator Andreas Mavroyannis and independent lawyer Achilleas Demetriades are widely discussed as potential names. UniteCyprusNow continue to lobby for easing the crossings in the face of long queues at the crossing points. Some refreshing news: Stelios awards were handed to number of Greek and Turkish Cypriot business partnerships.

Johnny Depp'i madara eden bu hayat bize neler yapmaz! Garip Zamanlar'ın bayram özel sayısında Evren İnançoğlu, Kemal Baykallı ve Sertaç Sonan; Johnny Depp-Amber Heard davası üzerinden toksik erilliği, mutlu olma dayatması üzerinden toksik olumlamayı ve Çin rejiminin eleştirel yazıları görünmez bir dijital mürekkep gibi ortadan kaldırmasını konuştular. Heidegger, Sartre, Arendt, Kierkegaard bu haftaki düşün hayatımızın konuklarıydı. Distopyalar, ütopyalar, Bill Gates, Musk'ın Twitter'i satın alması derken program bitti.

İngiltere'de Boris, Amerika'da Donald, Fransa'da Marie, Oscar'larda Will, apokaliptik salgında corona. İçinden geçtiğimiz garip zamanlarda herşey mümkün. Evren İnançoğlu, Kemal Baykallı ve Sertaç Sonan, ana akım sinemanın zirvesinde atılan tokadı, pandeminin ortasında partileyen İngiltere Başbakanı Boris Johnson'un aldığı cezayı, Putin'i haklı gören aklı karışmışları, babasını partiden atan aşırı sağcı Marie Le Pen'in çıkışını, ünlü düşünür Heidegger ve ünlü besteci Wagner'in nazilerle olan bağlarını, sinemada vampirlerin ve zombilerin tarihçesini ve binlerce insann ilgisine mazhar olan akademik zombi çalıştayının akibetini konuştular. Menüde ise Lurucina zivaniyası vardı.

In this episode of Nicosia Uncut, Andromachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykallı host Dr.Alexandra Novosseloff, the author of the EPON (Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network) report titled "Assessing the Effectiveness of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP) and the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus (OSASG)". What does the report entail? What kind of work does the UN do behind the scenes to prevent crisis to occur? What are the relations between the conflict-prevention and peacemaking in the Cypriot context? How does the "fear of recognition" affect the work of the UN?

The link to the full report: https://effectivepeaceops.net/publication/assessing-effectiveness-of-unficyp-and-osasg/

Ο Γιώργος Κύρου μέλος του κινήματος Fashion Revolution και ιδρυτής της Μοτίβω μας μιλά για τη φιλοσοφία πίσω από την επαναχρησιμοποίηση και τη βιώσιμη μόδα. Ταυτόχρονα γίνεται ένα ακόμα παράδειγμα ενός ανθρώπου που ακολουθά το σκοπό του. Το podcast Life Light παράγεται και παρουσιάζεται από την Άννα Μιχαήλ.

Son Batman filminin etkisiyle mi nedir, bu bölüm Garip Zamanlar tarihinin en "noir" bölümü oldu. Karamsar ve ağdalı başladık ama viski tadımı sayesinde keyifli bitirdik. Napolyon'dan Birinci Dünya Harbi'ne kadar geçen umutlu zamanlar, tarihin sonuna geldiğine inanılan naif zamanlar, bilimden medyaya herşeyin doğruluğunu sorguladığımız şüpheli zamanlar, Rusya'nın Ukrayna'ya saldırmasıyla hatırlanacak günümüz zamanları ve nihayetinde içinde bulunduğumuz garip zamanlar bu bölümde! Evren İnançoğlu, Kemal Baykallı ve Sertaç Sonan, Garip Zamanlar podcastının 27'inci bölümünü soğuk ve baharı özlediğimiz bir Mart ayında çektiler. Neyse ki Glen Turner Single Malt - Port Cask Finish imdada yetişti.

Difficult times for Ukraine and for the world peace in general! While Russia's attack on Ukraine continues to create a humanitarian tragedy in the heart of Europe, there are lessons for Cypriots who are living in a frozen conflict on the island. In this episode of Nicosia Uncut, Andromachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykallı discuss how the war in Ukraine must teach the Cypriots the need to end their own conflict since they have been living on a powder keg for many decades. Harsh statements by the Russian Ambassador in Nicosia, upon the decision of the Republic of Cyprus to close its airspace as this is also a common decision of the EU, created a resentment among various circles. Anastasiades government, however, is trying to go below the radar instead of taking a determined position against the Russian invasion.

Click here for UniteCyprusNow Press Release on the topic.

Click here for "Decode Cyprus" podcast episode that draws parallels between Ukraine and Cyprus.

Δεξιότητες ζωής και καριέρα 

Η Χριστιάνα Ξενοφώντος, μια  παθιασμένη υπερασπίστρια για τα δικαιώματα των νέων μας μιλά για τη σημασία της ανάπτυξης δεξιοτήτων ζωής στη πορεία μας. Η προσωπική ανάπτυξη και οι ισορροπίες αποτελούν αναπόσπαστο κομμάτι μιας πορείας με νόημα για τον εαυτό μας και την κοινωνία. Το podcast Life Light παράγεται και παρουσιάζεται από την Άννα Μιχαήλ.

Since the collapse of the talks in Crans Montana, Anastasiades government has dedicated all its foreign policy capital in isolating Turkey through various diplomatic tools. Apart from a number of regional agreements (which were highlighted with tantamount ceremonies), the Republic of Cyprus has used its EU membership to push, unsuccessfully, for European sanctions against Turkey. The Greek Cypriot mainstream media did not hesitate to portray such "glorious diplomatic victories" on their front pages, radio and TV stations were filled with strategic experts praising government's strategic steps in the international arena. It seems that all went down the drain after the appointment of the new foreign minister who publicly declared the end of this policy in favour of confidence building measures. All those who had rush to teach patriotic lessons to the critics of RoC's impotent alienation strategy turned a blind eye to this change. In this episode of Nicosia Uncut, Andromachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykallı, discuss the new Greek Cypriot foreign policy that are crowned with good old confidence building measures (CBMs), Turkey's attempts to prove itself as a trusted NATO ally in the Ukraine crisis, local politics on both sides of the divide (presidential race in the south and yet-to-be-formed coalition in the north)... and long queues at the crossing points!