The Borders We Share: A New Way to Fix a Broken World
Section 1: Foundations of the Multiverse (Posts 1–6)
Blog Post #6: Narnia’s Ice, Cyprus Split: Thrones in Balance
In a Nutshell
Imagine a realm where Narnia’s frozen north splinters under rival claims—a throne of ice contested by heirs still haunted by a witch’s century-long chill. Now picture Cyprus, a sun-baked island in the Mediterranean, its soil split by the Attila Line, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots face off across a divide etched by history and hardened by time. One is a story born from C.S. Lewis’s imagination; the other is a living wound on our globe. In The Borders We Share, I’m threading these tales—mythic frost and real-world rifts—to explore a pressing question: can rival claims find balance on a shared edge, or are they doomed to collapse into chaos? Let’s journey through these divided lands and see if splitting the crown might steady the scales.
The Adventure Steps Forth
Narnia gripped me as a child—those snow-laden woods whispering of thrones and betrayal, a kingdom fractured by ambition and pride. That icy divide lingered in my mind, reflecting the cracks I’d later study in our own world. In this series, The Borders We Share, I’m chasing that echo, turning territorial disputes into blueprints for shared futures. We’ve trekked through Sherwood’s green, plumbed Atlantis’ depths, thawed Antarctica’s ice—last week, rival explorers vied for sunken gold. Today, we’re crossing Narnia’s frostbitten plains and Cyprus’ barbed-wire frontier—realms where crowns and borders teeter on the brink, yet where a new pact might just hold them steady. Lace up your boots; the path ahead is sharp, cold, and unyielding.
Narnia’s Tale
First, let’s step into Narnia—a world I’m borrowing from the public domain, its copyright expired in the UK since 2018, per Lewis’s native laws. Envision it: the year is 2025, decades after the White Witch’s defeat, but her hundred-year winter has left deep scars across the land. Two heirs emerge to claim the high throne. Prince Torin, a lion-maned warrior from the golden halls of Cair Paravel in the east, asserts his right with ancient scrolls unearthed near Lantern Waste—parchments tracing his lineage back to Aslan’s roar and the reign of High King Peter. Lady Sylva, a fierce queen from the rugged western wilds, counters with a claim rooted in resilience—her people survived the Witch’s ice, their oral histories sung by firelight in the Shuddering Wood, tales of endurance carved into the land itself.
Narnia’s geography amplifies their rivalry. The Lantern Waste, marked by its iconic lamp-post—a beacon between Narnia and the human world—stands as a symbol of hope but also a contested border. The Great River, flowing from the western mountains to the eastern sea, is both a lifeline for trade and a natural divide, its banks bristling with Torin’s knights and Sylva’s scouts. The Shuddering Wood, with its ancient, whispering pines, shelters dryads and fauns who eye both claimants warily, their memories of tyranny still fresh. Skirmishes erupt—swords clash at Dancing Lawn, arrows arc over the frozen marshes of Ettinsmoor. Talking animals—noble lions, industrious beavers—split their loyalties, while fauns play their pipes in neutral corners, quietly yearning for peace. The land groans under the weight of their feud; who will rule the ice?
Cyprus’s Reality
Now, shift to Cyprus—an island of 1,130 square miles in the eastern Mediterranean, 80 km south of Turkey, 130 km west of Syria, and 885 km east of Greece, as detailed in my 2020 book, Territorial Disputes, Chapter 7. Its history is a tapestry of conquest and division. Greek in culture since antiquity, it fell to the Ottoman Empire in the 1570s, absorbing Turkish settlers over three centuries. British rule began in 1878, formalizing as a Crown Colony by 1925, bringing modernization but also deepening ethnic divides. Independence in 1960 aimed to unite Greek Cypriots (then 80% of the population) and Turkish Cypriots (18%) under a power-sharing constitution, but tensions simmered. Violence flared in 1963, and in 1974, a Greek-backed coup triggered Turkey’s invasion, seizing 36% of the north. By 1983, this became the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized solely by Turkey.
The Attila Line—180 km of barbed wire and checkpoints—slices the island: Greek Cypriots hold the south, Turkish Cypriots the north, bolstered by 30,000 settlers from Turkey in the 1970s, now numbering around 100,000 (per TRNC estimates, 2023). Nicosia, the world’s last divided capital, straddles this rift, a UN buffer zone threading through its heart. Reunification efforts, like the 2004 Annan Plan, collapsed—66% of Greek Cypriots rejected it in a referendum, per UN records. Today, 1.2 million people—850,000 Greek Cypriots, 300,000 Turkish Cypriots (2023 estimates)—live on either side, their futures entangled in a stalemate. Offshore gas reserves, discovered in the 2010s, add new stakes, with both sides claiming rights to billions in potential revenue. The island quivers; can its halves reconcile?
The Fractured Heart
These disputes aren’t mere power grabs—they’re woven from pride, history, and identity. In Narnia, Torin’s claim rests on heritage—scrolls from Cair Paravel’s vaults list kings from Peter to Caspian, his name the latest inked in faded glory. Sylva’s legitimacy springs from survival—her kin’s songs, passed down through generations, recount a century of ice, their axes splitting frozen roots to endure. Using my 2020 framework from Territorial Disputes, we see agents (Torin, Sylva), contexts (post-Witch turmoil), and realms (lineage vs. endurance). Time stretches back 100 years to the winter’s grip; space spans 200 miles from Lantern Waste to Ettinsmoor. A nonlinear twist emerges: fauns, those pipe-playing neutrals, whisper peace from the sidelines—could they tip the scales?
Cyprus’s fracture runs deeper. My 2020 analysis maps it: Greek Cypriots grieve 1974—150,000 fled south, homes abandoned, per UNHCR; Turkish Cypriots recall 1963—364 killed in ethnic clashes, per Red Cross. The influx of 30,000 Turkish settlers by 1980, now 100,000, reshapes the north’s identity. Leaders wield these wounds: Greek Cypriots demand “return,” backed by Greece; Turkish Cypriots seek security, leaning on Turkey. Time traces from Ottoman rule in the 1570s to today’s impasse; space is the 180-km Attila Line, with Famagusta’s ghost town a silent witness. Nonlinear forces stir—the EU (Cyprus joined in 2004) offers trade (€1.5 billion south-north, 2023 Eurostat), but NATO’s Greece-Turkey rift fans the flames. Here, too, the heart of the divide lies in its people, not just its land.
Why Sharing Holds Steady
All-or-nothing risks ruin. In Narnia, war ravages the realm—Torin’s knights fell oaks for siege towers, Sylva’s archers torch fields; no throne endures on ash. Cyprus suffers—1,500 died in 1974 (UN figures), and 2023’s €50 million in lost trade (Cyprus Chamber) wounds both sides. My 2017 solution from Sovereignty Conflicts—egalitarian shared sovereignty—offers a fix. For Narnia: a blind council of Torin, Sylva, and fauns. Torin governs the east, his law shining in Cair Paravel; Sylva rules the west, her wilds thriving; fauns oversee commons like Lantern Waste, a truce zone. Four principles guide it: all speak (knight, queen, faun), roles align (Torin’s justice, Sylva’s hunt), rewards reflect effort (east’s gold, west’s game), and the strong aid the weak—Torin rebuilds Sylva’s mills. My 2023 lens—agents, contexts, realms—locks it in place.
For Cyprus: a triad—Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, settlers. Vertically, Greeks govern the south (80% land, €2 billion GDP, 2023), Turks the north (36%, €500 million), settlers farm (10,000 hectares). Horizontally, the Attila Line opens: Greeks trade olives south (€200 million), Turks citrus north (€100 million), settlers build roads (€50 million tolls). Rewards split 50/50 south-north; jobs match skills (5,000 drivers, clerks). Time—10-year terms rebuild post-1974 trust; space—180 km zoned: 90 south, 60 north, 30 shared (buffer parks). Nonlinear aids—EU funds (€500 million, 2025 pledge), NATO referees—nudge it forward. Peace grows, not shatters.
The Shaky Ground
Critics scoff: “Thrones don’t share.” In Narnia, Torin’s scrolls proclaim destiny—kings don’t bow; Sylva’s songs demand retribution—ice forged her resolve. A century of frost chills trust; 200 miles defy one crown. Fauns? Idealists, not rulers. In Cyprus, Greek Cypriots cling to return—66% rejected Annan (2004 polls); Turkish Cypriots fear Greece—1974’s 30,000 troops linger in memory. Settlers—100,000 strong—shift the north’s balance. Time—450 years of division; space—180 km of wire. EU cash tempts, but NATO’s feud festers. My 2017 vision demands miracles; reality bites hard.
Yet glimmers persist. Narnia’s fauns bridged peace once—Lewis’s Lion nods to it; Torin needs Sylva’s grain, she his iron. Cyprus stood united pre-1974—1960’s flag flew; 2023 polls show 55% favor trade (Cyprus Mail). Reason can steady the tremor, if we push.
Why This Stirs You
Narnia’s frost and Cyprus’ split aren’t just tales—they’re us: a knight’s son seeking honor, a farmer’s plea for home. The Borders We Share bets we can balance—share the throne, not the fight. I’m Dr. Jorge, spinning this into a book you’ll hold. Swing by https://drjorge.world or X (https://x.com/DrJorge_World)—let’s mend this together.
Branches to Climb
- Núñez, J.E. (2017). Sovereignty Conflicts (Ch. 6, 7).
- Núñez, J.E. (2020). Territorial Disputes (Ch. 1, 7).
- Núñez, J.E. (2023). Cosmopolitanism and State Sovereignty (Ch. 1, 6, 7).
NOTE:
New posts every Tuesday.
PREVIOUS POSTS:
- Entangled Worlds, Shared Futures: A New Border Blueprint
- Khemed’s Oil, Crimea’s Shadow: Splitting the Stakes
- Sherlock’s Docks, Ireland’s Edge: Clues to Equal Ground
- 3.1. Bonus
- Sherwood’s Green, Amazon’s Roots: Forests for All
- Atlantis Rising, Antarctic Thaw: Deep Claims, Shared Wins
NEXT POSTS:
Section 1: Foundations of the Multiverse (Posts 1–6): A Recap
AUTHOR’S SAMPLE PEER-REVIEWED ACADEMIC RESEARCH (FREE OPEN ACCESS):
State Sovereignty: Concept and Conceptions (OPEN ACCESS) (IJSL 2024)
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Tuesday 08th April 2025
Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez
X (formerly, Twitter): https://x.com/DrJorge_World
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