Attempted Coup In Turkey

[Belsnickel]

(07-16-2016, 05:58 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Should we extradite the supposed Master-Mind?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/obama-parties-turkey-support-erdogan-govt-074352507--politics.html?ref=gs

So, what is interesting here is that it doesn't make sense for him to have been behind this. It isn't his style and it is out of character for his supporters, a least from the geopolitical discussions I have been reading. Especially since the call was for a secular state which is not the hallmark of Gulen, he is just more moderate than Erdogan. Their animosity is only three years old and is the result of the disapproval of Erdogan's authoritarian power grabs, from what I amd given to understand.

There have been two prevailing thoughts on what occurred in what I have been reading. The first, more unlikely, situation is that Erdogan did this himself to gain more power. The only person benefiting from this is him as he is using it to grab more power (the President in Turkey is more ceremonial than anything and he has been changing that) and clear out any dissidents in the government that were loyal to the state but not to him.

The other, more likely scenario is that remaining state loyalists in the military did this and Erdogan is being opportunistic in the aftermath. He has been weeding out state loyalists in the military for some time now, from top to bottom. The military has long thought itself the protector of the secular state in Turkey, this previous coups. As of late, however, Erdogan loyalists have been put in positions of power, including the top brass. The coup was doomed to fail without the support of top officers. So, many are seeing ths as a last ditch effort by state loyalist forces to return the state to a secular government.

Whatever happened, it seems clear that Erdogan is attempting to become a new Ottoman Emperor.

[Belsnickel]

Does anyone else find it interesting how quickly after the coup there were thousands of arrests made? It seems suspiciously like they had a plan in place to make those arrests already.

[*bfine32*]

(07-18-2016, 02:58 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: Does anyone else find it interesting how quickly after the coup there were thousands of arrests made? It seems suspiciously like they had a plan in place to make those arrests already.

It does seem like a planned purge, but who knows. I do think this does not help their bid to join the EU.

[Au165]

(07-18-2016, 03:35 PM)bfine32 Wrote: It does seem like a planned purge, but who knows. I do think this does not help their bid to join the EU.

Especially with them considering bringing back the death penalty.....that's a no no for the EU.

[Belsnickel]

(07-18-2016, 03:35 PM)bfine32 Wrote: It does seem like a planned purge, but who knows. I do think this does not help their bid to join the EU.

(07-18-2016, 03:37 PM)Au165 Wrote: Especially with them considering bringing back the death penalty.....that's a no no for the EU.

Yeah, and they have been told as much. It's been laid out that if they go through with their plans they can kiss their EU membership hopes goodbye, and potentially lose their NATO status as well.

[Benton]

(07-18-2016, 02:58 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: Does anyone else find it interesting how quickly after the coup there were thousands of arrests made? It seems suspiciously like they had a plan in place to make those arrests already.

Good point.

May have been that the coup had been planned, the government found out and the timetable got moved up. Would explain why there seemed to be so many conflicting reports on both sides.

[McC]

Good ol' Turkey. Been around a reaaalllly long time and still minor league.

[Belsnickel]

(07-18-2016, 04:12 PM)McC Wrote: Good ol' Turkey. Been around a reaaalllly long time and still minor league.

They miss their Ottoman heyday.

[Au165]

(07-18-2016, 04:22 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: They miss their Ottoman heyday.

Yea, they used to make great foot stools.

[Belsnickel]

(07-18-2016, 04:25 PM)Au165 Wrote: Yea, they used to make great foot stools.

My cats think mine is their own personal couch. I never get to put my feet up.