Writing at American Thinker, Bruce Walker argues the tiny island-nation of Cyprus may prove the first domino in a collapse of the Eurozone financial system.

The Cypriot Domino

Cyprus Bank Heist foiled by legislators and pitchfork-wielding peasants | Human Events

Today is the 37th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. More than 6,000 Greek-Cypriots were killed, thousands more wounded ... and 1,300 men, 116 women and 133 children taken captive by the Turks to be murdered or sent to concentration camps. Nearly 200,000 Greeks were forced from their homes by the Turkish army, which still occupies Cyprus today. We will never forget!

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Turkey has desecrated hundreds of Christian churches and monastaries since it invaded Cyprus in 1974.

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United States Congress Passes Resolution Calling on Turkey to Protect Religious Sites in Occupied Cyprus

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Thanks in no small part to the pressure put on by this blog, Jennifer Lopez has come to her senses and canceled her planned concert in Turkish Occupied Cyprus.

Way to go, JLo.

I'm sure Jenny wasn't aware that she would be performing in an occupied territory run by a an illegal regime set by Turkey.

Give her credit for passing up a huge paycheck to stand up for principle.

We can be friends again.

From an article in The Christian Science Monitor:

Pop star Jennifer Lopez has canceled a performance in Turkish-held north Cyprus after whipping up a storm of angry protest from thousands of displaced Greek Cypriots.

Lopez's gig at a luxury hotel had triggered angry protests among Greeks accusing her of according legitimacy to northern Cyprus, a breakaway state recognized only by Ankara.

"Jennifer Lopez would never knowingly support any state, country, institution or regime that was associated with any form of human rights abuse," a statement on Lopez's website said.

"After a full review of the relevant circumstances in Cyprus, it was the decision of her advisors to withdraw from the appearance.

This was a team decision that reflects our sensitivity to the political realities of the region," it said.

Jennifer Lopez cancels north Cyprus show after Greek outcry - CSMonitor.com

Pressure continues to build on Jennifer Lopez to cancel her upcoming performance in Turkish Occupied Cyprus. A Facebook page opposing the singer's trip to the rogue nation has received more than 16,000 fans in a matter of days.

From Reuters:

Jennifer Lopez has entered a diplomatic minefield on ethnically split Cyprus after agreeing to perform in its Turkish-held north, stirring anger among thousands of Greek Cypriots.

Lopez is scheduled to perform at the opening of a luxury hotel in north Cyprus on July 24, triggering fury from Greek Cypriots who say it's a slap in the face to people forced to flee from northern Cyprus during a Turkish invasion in 1974.

Greek Cypriots have flooded a Facebook site with angry demands the Latina star cancel her trip while organizers of the event say the show will go on.

"We have a signed agreement with her and it is active," said Murat Bozoglu, a director of the $220 million Cratos Premium hotel in northern Cyprus.

Lopez's publicists were not immediately available for comment. Local newspapers reported she was being paid $3 million for her one-off performance.

Read the full story here.

The Cyprus Action Network of America is continuing its grassroots campaign to stop Jennifer Lopez from making an illegal visit to Turkish-Occupied Cyprus.

From a CANA press release:

In recent days an overwhelming number of emails and calls have been sent in protest to the "William Morris Agency" in New York that represents Lopez in New York. There is no evidence NONE that Jennifer Lopez has withdrawn or denied that she is going to Turkish-Occupied-Cyprus. We urge all activists to keep trying to bring media attention to her illegal visit. We urge you all to continue until we or anyone else receives official confirmation of her cancelling from the right channels.

Please emphasize in your letters to Lopez that besides the fact the illegal pseudo-state is recognized by no-one but the human-rights-abusing Turkish government, we also note in Jennifer Lopez’s case the hypocrisy of her and her agent "William Morris Agency" disregarding the fact that the illegal Turkish military-occupiers are the unrepentant rapists of 800 Greek-Cypriot women.

The northern third of the island of Cyprus has been under Turkish military occupation since 1974.

Thousands have supported the CANA campaign to persuade Lopez to cancel her appearance by joining the Facebook group AGAINST JENNIFER LOPEZ PERFORMING IN OCCUPIED CYPRUS, which has attracted almost 6,000 members in just a few days.

For more on CANA's efforts to bring justice to Cyprus, visit the group's Web site by clicking here.

On July 20, 1974, Turkey launched a massive military invasion of Cyprus, a tiny island-nation in the Mediterranean Sea.

Turkey used American-made jet fighters and bombers sold to Turkey by the United States for "defensive purposes" to attack Cyprus, a clear violation of U.S. law.

It would not be the last time Turkey would thumb its nose at America.

More than 6,000 Greek-Cypriots (almost all civilians) were killed by the Turks and another 1,600 disappeared behind Turkish lines. Thirty-four years later, there still has not been an accounting by Turkey of the whereabouts of 1,300 men, 116 women and 133 children trapped behind the advancing Turkish army.

The invasion of a defenseless Cyprus lasted a few weeks, but Turkish troops managed to drive out nearly 200,000 Greek-Cypriots from their homes in the northern part of the island. One of every three Cypriots became a refugee overnight in their own country.

Turkish troops set up what became known as the "Attila Line" with 35,000 troops remaining on the island to prevent Greek-Cypriots from returning to their ancestral homes. Turkey continues to occupy 37 percent of Cyprus. The Turkish population of Cyprus was about 18 percent in 1974.

Turkey eventually set up a puppet regime known as the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," recognized by only one nation — Turkey.

Over the past 34 years, more than 120,000 Muslim settlers have been brought from mainland Turkey to occupied Cyprus, forever changing the ethnic and religious balance of a Christian nation that once hosted the Apostle Paul, who preached on Cyprus during his first missionary journey. Paul converted the Roman governor of Cyprus during his visit, establishing Cyprus as the first nation in the world to be governed by a Christian.

The invasion of Cyprus and the annexation of the northern third of the island by Turkey have been condemned repeatedly by the United Nations, but Turkey continues to ignore U.N. resolutions to leave Cyprus.

Relations between the United States and Greece have been strained since the 1974 invasion. And our so-called ally, Turkey, has repeatedly turned its back to U.S. requests to use its air space and U.S.-built military bases in turkey for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More than 60,000 American soldiers were scheduled to invade Iraq from the north in 2003 to prevent the escape of Saddam Hussein's army and sectarian militias, but Turkey refused to grant the U.S. permission to use its air space for the assault.

As a result of Turkey's decision, American soldiers are still dying in Iraq at the hands of fighters who escaped the 2003 invasion. Inexplicably, billions of dollars in U.S. military and economic aid flow into Turkey each year. The top three beneficiaries of U.S. foreign aid are Israel, Egypt and Turkey.

Every American president since the 1974 invasion has pledged to find a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus problem, but every single president — Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush — has failed to persuade the Turks to leave Cyprus.

The United States has always maintained a double standard when it comes to Turkey. The U.S. criticizes North Korea and Iran for human rights violations and aggressive actions against their neighbors, but will not do the same with Turkey, which has openly violated U.S. law and repeatedly thumbed its nose at both the U.S. and U.N.

Had Turkey consented to allow the U.S. to open a second front against Saddam's forces during the 2003 invasion, thousands of Saddam loyalists — the insurgents who continue to kill American soldiers in Iraq — would have been captured or killed. Instead, they fled the advancing U.S. forces from the south and set up for the guerrilla warfare we now see in Iraq. Every time an American soldier dies in Iraq, Turkey has blood on its hands.

The only just solution to the Cyprus problem is the withdrawal of all Turkish troops from the island, the removal of the illegal Turkish settlers and the return of the Greek-Cypriots to their ancestral homes.

The only way to force Turkey to comply with U.S. and international law is to stop sending American tax dollars to Turkey. Write to your congressman and ask why billions of U.S. tax dollars are being spent to support an outlaw nation like Turkey.

For more information about the invasion and occupation of Cyprus, I recommend the following Web sites: www.lobbyforcyprus.org and www.kypros.org