Sign of Strength, or Weakness?
TeePee surprised everyone last night by bringing down the Ledra Street wall. You have to hand it to him - keeping such a move secret until it actually happened, and while out of the country, shows executive ability that we have not been accustomed to in Stravaraland. It also shows he can actually take the initiative if he wants to, and play the game. And the move is in the right direction as far as answering all his critics when they accuse him of not meaning business. All these elements are in his favour.
But, is the move stemming from strength or from weakness? Recall that the person who opened the 'border' was the Denktator in April 2003 when pretty much all the Turkish Cypriots were in the streets, ready to throw him out of office. So that must have been a desperate measure from a position of severe weakness. On the other hand, Talat has actually continued this trend, or at least pretends that he wants to continue this trend, but he seems to be motivated by the feeling of being in a position of strength, both domestically and internationally, after April 2004.
Now which of the two possibilities best describes TeePee's motivation? Is it weakness from the direct trade prospect that he wants at all costs to prevent? Or is it strength because he both puts Talat under pressure to deal with the Turkish military and at the same time moves closer to traditional AKEL positions and forces even more AKEL to stay with him for the longer run?
But, is the move stemming from strength or from weakness? Recall that the person who opened the 'border' was the Denktator in April 2003 when pretty much all the Turkish Cypriots were in the streets, ready to throw him out of office. So that must have been a desperate measure from a position of severe weakness. On the other hand, Talat has actually continued this trend, or at least pretends that he wants to continue this trend, but he seems to be motivated by the feeling of being in a position of strength, both domestically and internationally, after April 2004.
Now which of the two possibilities best describes TeePee's motivation? Is it weakness from the direct trade prospect that he wants at all costs to prevent? Or is it strength because he both puts Talat under pressure to deal with the Turkish military and at the same time moves closer to traditional AKEL positions and forces even more AKEL to stay with him for the longer run?
posted by apodimos Kypreos at 10:06
3 Comments:
Should we dust our old Pink Floyd records?
Should we bring David Hasselhoff to perform live? (he did when the Berlin wall came down).
In poker, we call this a 'double bluff'.
In relatioships, when a newly broken up couple go at it again, it's called a 'pre-rebound, hide-the-loukaniko for old times sake' ploy.
In Cyprus it's called "Dude don't bend over to pick up that £20 note, AKEL is right behind you".
In Brussels it is said thus: "Shut up, jerk, and just do it"
The problem is that, even when TeePee and his gang make the right move, their timing is always off, and their intentions are always transparent.
If you want to make a gesture of good will, you do it *before* you are cornered. Once you are cornered, it doesn't look like a good will gesture any more.
If you want to make a gesture of good will, you do it with a smile. You don't go on tv with a sour face (like Pashardis last night and every night, just like his boss) and look like you did something you didn't want to do and that you want something in return for it.
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