evidence: However, since early in its history, the triangular US-Turkish-Greek relationship has been punctuated by crises. The dispute over the island of Cyprus precipitated a major falling out between Turkey and Greece, thrusting the United States into a mediating role that helped forestall an all-out war but had limited overall success. Later, then-US President Bill Clinton’s personal intervention in the Imia/Kardak crisis of 1996—a dispute over sovereignty of the uninhabited Aegean islets—proved critical in lowering tensions and staving off war between Turkey and Greece.