A former Pentagon official is making the case that Turkey has no business putting one of its own at the head of the Unit...

A former Pentagon official is making the case that Turkey has no business putting one of its own at the head of the United Nations, not while Turkish troops have been occupying northern Cyprus for over 52 years. Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, published an argument this week that is drawing attention in Greek and Cypriot circles. His position is straightforward: a country that has militarily occupied European Union territory since 1974 should not be allowed to place its candidate at the helm of the world's top international body. The argument comes as the race to replace outgoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres is quietly heating up. Guterres' second term ends on December 31, 2026, and behind-the-scenes maneuvering among member states is already underway over who should fill the role next. Turkey has kept troops in northern Cyprus since its 1974 military intervention, which divided the island. The island remains split to this day, with no resolution in sight. Rubin's core point is that allowing the occupying power to lead an organization built on the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity would be a fundamental contradiction. The timing matters. Discussions over the next Secretary-General are now actively underway, and Turkey is reportedly among the countries with ambitions for the post. Rubin's piece, published through the American Enterprise Institute, puts that ambition directly in the crosshairs. His argument is not framed as a personal attack on any individual candidate but as a matter of principle: so long as Turkey refuses to end its military presence in Cyprus, it should be disqualified from the UN's top seat. The occupation, in his view, disqualifies the country itself. #Cyprus #UnitedNations #Greece