Book excerpt: This book traces the international community's attempts to achieve a solution to the Cyprus problem from 1964-86, and analyzes why it has failed. It also discusses the deep mutual distrust between Turks and Greeks throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, which hampers all attempts to reach a satisfactory solution to this intractable problem. Mirbagheri also examines the divergent policies of the key external players and how they have contributed to the current stalemate.