US-Turkish tensions rise after failed coup attempt

[rooster59]

US-Turkish tensions rise after failed coup attempt

BRADLEY KLAPPER, Associated Press


LUXEMBOURG (AP) — U.S.-Turkish tensions escalated Saturday after a quashed coup in Turkey, as the country's leader bluntly demanded the extradition of a U.S.-based cleric he accused of orchestrating the violence. Another senior official directly blamed the United States.

After strongly supporting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when it seemed his government might topple and then opening the door to sending home the cleric, a stung Obama administration fired back at its NATO ally.

"Public insinuations or claims about any role by the United States in the failed coup attempt are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told his Turkish counterpart, according to the State Department's readout of their telephone call.

The back-and-forth occurred against the backdrop of Turkey closing its airspace, effectively grounding U.S. warplanes that had been targeting Islamic State forces in neighboring Syria and Iraq.

At the center of the controversy stood Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in Pennsylvania and promotes a philosophy that blends a mystical form of Islam with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue.

Gulen quickly condemned Friday night's coup attempt by military officers that resulted in a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left dozens dead. Erdogan's government said Gulen directed the coup all the same.

In a televised speech Saturday, Erdogan said Turkey had never rejected a U.S. extradition request for "terrorists." Addressing Washington, he requested the handover of Gulen and said, "If we are strategic partners, then you should bring about our request."

Although he didn't outline any threat, Erdogan's emphasis on U.S.-Turkish counterterrorism cooperation raised the prospect of a prolonged closure of the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey if he didn't get his way. The Pentagon said it was trying to get permission to resume air operations from the base, while adjusting mission operations in the meantime.

Suleyman Soylu, Turkey's labor minister, went further than Erdogan, suggesting the U.S. was behind the coup.

In their second call in as many days, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavosoglu told Kerry the government was in control of state institutions.

Kerry reiterated U.S. support for Turkey's democratically elected government, according to the State Department readout, and urged authorities to respect the rule of law and safeguard civilian life as they respond to the coup attempt. Kerry also said Turkey needed to respect due process as it investigates those it believes were involved in the plot.

Earlier, on a visit to Luxembourg, Kerry told reporters the U.S. would entertain an extradition request for Gulen if the Turks provided evidence of wrongdoing. Erdogan has long accused Gulen, a former ally, of trying to overthrow the government, but Washington has never found the claims compelling.

"We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr. Gulen," Kerry told reporters. "And obviously we would invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny. And the United States will accept that and look at it and make judgments about it appropriately."

Gulen is understood to maintain significant support among some members of the military and mid-level bureaucrats. His movement called Hizmet includes think tanks, schools and various media enterprises. Gulen and Erdogan only became estranged in recent years.

A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations, said Turkey was preparing a formal extradition request with detailed information about Gulen's involvement in illegal activities. He said the coup attempt was seen as "one more thing to add to an already extensive list."

In a statement, Gulen said he condemned, "in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey" and sharply rejected any responsibility or knowledge of who might be involved.

At a news briefing Saturday in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, the cleric noted that he has been away from Turkey for more than 15 years and would not have returned if the coup had succeeded. He cited greater freedoms in the United States as a reason.

"In brief, I don't even know who my followers are," the frail-looking cleric said through an interpreter. "You can think about many motivations of people who staged this coup."

The coup failed after appearing not to have been backed by the most senior ranks of the military. Turkey's main opposition parties, too, condemned the attempted overthrow of the government. Prime Minister Benali Yildirim said 161 people were killed and 1,440 wounded in the overnight violence. He said 2,839 plotters were detained.

Kerry said the U.S. had no indication beforehand of the coup attempt, which began as he and Russia's foreign minister were in a Russian government villa in Moscow, locked in negotiations over Syria.

"If you're planning a coup, you don't exactly advertise to your partners in NATO," Kerry said. "So it surprised everyone. It does not appear to be a very brilliantly planned or executed event."

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-07-17

[manarak]

look at these muppets - I'm sad the coup failed.

the insinuations of the pro-islamist Turkish government are ridiculous - if the US were behind the coup, it would have succeeded. QED.

Edited July 16, 2016 by manarak

[Mosha]

The way Erdogan is cleaning shop now, brings out the tinfoil hat in me.. Did he stage it himself?

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[stevenl]

look at these muppets - I'm sad the coup failed.

the insinuations of the pro-islamist Turkish government are ridiculous - if the US were behind the coup, it would have succeeded. QED.

The us does not exactly have a good history with coups.

I agree the accusations look ridiculous, they are playing their cards and going on the attack. This will benefit Turkey's aim in Syria, and therefore not that of the US.

[Kerryd]

The coup failed because Erdogan knew the military, especially the "old guard", saw themselves as the protectors of the secular state the Ataturk created and for years he has been systematically replacing a lot of that old guard with new faces that owe their positions (and loyalty) to him, not to the state. As a result, this poorly planned coup had little chance of succeeding.

I mean, holey crapola - they didn't even capture/arrest the President (Erdogan) or the Prime Minister, or anyone else of importance other than the military chief of staff. Normally you execute a coup when the leader is out of the country, or when you can (easily) arrest him and most of his government in one fell swoop. (Remember how Prayut did it ?)

I was actually a bit surprised to see the people take to the streets. Traditionally the Turks have always viewed the military as their protectors and have stood behind them in solidarity for generations. Seeing them standing in front of the military shows just how much Erdogan has been able to change the country since he's been in power.

Erdogan is a fundamentalist Sunni and has been, slowly, trying to push Turkey into becoming an Islamic state. He was the Prime Minister for as long as was allowed and is now the President (kind of like what Putin did in Russia) and he (Erdogan) has been pushing for constitutional changes that would grant/consolidate more power to the President's position. (Gee, I wonder why........) This failed coup will no doubt give Erdogan the support he needs to make those changes "for the good of the nation" and once he has that there'll be no turning back (especially with the military in his back pocket now).

Erdogan has on one hand been actively battling the Kurds to prevent them from separating and forming their own country. On the other hand he has been (openly) supporting the rebels trying to topple Assad, including the "Turkmen" (ethnic Turks living in Syria). Remember how PO'd he was when the Russians bombed some Turkmen and how Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet ? I suspect that he hopes Assad will fall and then he (Erdogan) will try to annex the lands the Turkmen inhabit and add them to Turkey. (Sound familiar ?) If Assad falls Syria will no doubt turn into a basket case of a state just like Libya so it probably wouldn't be hard for Erdogan to steal as much land as he wants. The UN/EU/NATO/et al would probably turn a blind eye to it "for the greater good". (Also sound familiar ?)

This coup failed so badly, on so many levels, that one would almost suspect it was deliberately staged. That would (perhaps) account for things like why most of the rank & file soldiers were (apparently) new conscripts (that wouldn't know any better) and the poor planning and execution of the operation.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

I feel that this episode may have put a deffinate stop on Turkey's initiation into the EU for a couple of decades. Ya think?

[Mosha]

If they carry on the USA blame game, then exit from NATO could be on the cards.

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[Kerryd]

The coup failed because Erdogan knew the military, especially the "old guard", saw themselves as the protectors of the secular state the Ataturk created and for years he has been systematically replacing a lot of that old guard with new faces that owe their positions (and loyalty) to him, not to the state. As a result, this poorly planned coup had little chance of succeeding.

I mean, holey crapola - they didn't even capture/arrest the President (Erdogan) or the Prime Minister, or anyone else of importance other than the military chief of staff. Normally you execute a coup when the leader is out of the country, or when you can (easily) arrest him and most of his government in one fell swoop. (Remember how Prayut did it ?)

Erdogan is a fundamentalist Sunni and has been, slowly, trying to push Turkey into becoming an Islamic state. He was the Prime Minister for as long as was allowed and is now the President (kind of like what Putin did in Russia) and he (Erdogan) has been pushing for constitutional changes that would grant/consolidate more power to the President's position. (Gee, I wonder why........) This failed coup will no doubt give Erdogan the support he needs to make those changes "for the good of the nation" and once he has that there'll be no turning back (especially with the military in his back pocket now).

An article I just read about why the coup failed (according to an expert in such matters): http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/why-turkey%E2%80%99s-coup-failed-according-to-an-expert/ar-BBuoI7v?li=BBnb7Kz

An article I just read about why the coup failed (according to an expert in such matters):

[Steely Dan]

The way Erdogan is cleaning shop now, brings out the tinfoil hat in me.. Did he stage it himself?

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Either that, or a shot across the bows for Erdogan and a beta test for the coup Iran is in need of.

http://www.thomaswictor.com/monsters-maple-street/

Edit to add, If shutting down air travel between the U.S and Turkey was the U.S response to Turkish accusations then for once they did the right thing.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Steely Dan

[arjunadawn]

The coup failed because Erdogan knew the military, especially the "old guard", saw themselves as the protectors of the secular state the Ataturk created and for years he has been systematically replacing a lot of that old guard with new faces that owe their positions (and loyalty) to him, not to the state. As a result, this poorly planned coup had little chance of succeeding.

I mean, holey crapola - they didn't even capture/arrest the President (Erdogan) or the Prime Minister, or anyone else of importance other than the military chief of staff. Normally you execute a coup when the leader is out of the country, or when you can (easily) arrest him and most of his government in one fell swoop. (Remember how Prayut did it ?)

I was actually a bit surprised to see the people take to the streets. Traditionally the Turks have always viewed the military as their protectors and have stood behind them in solidarity for generations. Seeing them standing in front of the military shows just how much Erdogan has been able to change the country since he's been in power.

Erdogan is a fundamentalist Sunni and has been, slowly, trying to push Turkey into becoming an Islamic state. He was the Prime Minister for as long as was allowed and is now the President (kind of like what Putin did in Russia) and he (Erdogan) has been pushing for constitutional changes that would grant/consolidate more power to the President's position. (Gee, I wonder why........) This failed coup will no doubt give Erdogan the support he needs to make those changes "for the good of the nation" and once he has that there'll be no turning back (especially with the military in his back pocket now).

Erdogan has on one hand been actively battling the Kurds to prevent them from separating and forming their own country. On the other hand he has been (openly) supporting the rebels trying to topple Assad, including the "Turkmen" (ethnic Turks living in Syria). Remember how PO'd he was when the Russians bombed some Turkmen and how Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet ? I suspect that he hopes Assad will fall and then he (Erdogan) will try to annex the lands the Turkmen inhabit and add them to Turkey. (Sound familiar ?) If Assad falls Syria will no doubt turn into a basket case of a state just like Libya so it probably wouldn't be hard for Erdogan to steal as much land as he wants. The UN/EU/NATO/et al would probably turn a blind eye to it "for the greater good". (Also sound familiar ?)

This coup failed so badly, on so many levels, that one would almost suspect it was deliberately staged. That would (perhaps) account for things like why most of the rank & file soldiers were (apparently) new conscripts (that wouldn't know any better) and the poor planning and execution of the operation.

Brilliant analysis. Thx.

[arjunadawn]

The coup failed because Erdogan knew the military, especially the "old guard", saw themselves as the protectors of the secular state the Ataturk created and for years he has been systematically replacing a lot of that old guard with new faces that owe their positions (and loyalty) to him, not to the state. As a result, this poorly planned coup had little chance of succeeding.

I mean, holey crapola - they didn't even capture/arrest the President (Erdogan) or the Prime Minister, or anyone else of importance other than the military chief of staff. Normally you execute a coup when the leader is out of the country, or when you can (easily) arrest him and most of his government in one fell swoop. (Remember how Prayut did it ?)

Erdogan is a fundamentalist Sunni and has been, slowly, trying to push Turkey into becoming an Islamic state. He was the Prime Minister for as long as was allowed and is now the President (kind of like what Putin did in Russia) and he (Erdogan) has been pushing for constitutional changes that would grant/consolidate more power to the President's position. (Gee, I wonder why........) This failed coup will no doubt give Erdogan the support he needs to make those changes "for the good of the nation" and once he has that there'll be no turning back (especially with the military in his back pocket now).

An article I just read about why the coup failed (according to an expert in such matters): http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/why-turkey%E2%80%99s-coup-failed-according-to-an-expert/ar-BBuoI7v?li=BBnb7Kz

An article I just read about why the coup failed (according to an expert in such matters):

Great link on perception and war. Kerryd, you calls this and were spot on.

[manarak]

The coup failed because Erdogan knew the military, especially the "old guard", saw themselves as the protectors of the secular state the Ataturk created and for years he has been systematically replacing a lot of that old guard with new faces that owe their positions (and loyalty) to him, not to the state. As a result, this poorly planned coup had little chance of succeeding.

I mean, holey crapola - they didn't even capture/arrest the President (Erdogan) or the Prime Minister, or anyone else of importance other than the military chief of staff. Normally you execute a coup when the leader is out of the country, or when you can (easily) arrest him and most of his government in one fell swoop. (Remember how Prayut did it ?)

Erdogan is a fundamentalist Sunni and has been, slowly, trying to push Turkey into becoming an Islamic state. He was the Prime Minister for as long as was allowed and is now the President (kind of like what Putin did in Russia) and he (Erdogan) has been pushing for constitutional changes that would grant/consolidate more power to the President's position. (Gee, I wonder why........) This failed coup will no doubt give Erdogan the support he needs to make those changes "for the good of the nation" and once he has that there'll be no turning back (especially with the military in his back pocket now).

An article I just read about why the coup failed (according to an expert in such matters): http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/why-turkey%E2%80%99s-coup-failed-according-to-an-expert/ar-BBuoI7v?li=BBnb7Kz

An article I just read about why the coup failed (according to an expert in such matters):

and this is why I think the military were manipulated into doing the coup.

A meeting of the supreme military council was scheduled to take place the 1st August and there was also a quasi-announcement (strong rumors) that a huge purge of the military would take place. Erdogan already purged the police and the courts system.

So the officers had the knife put to their throats. I don't know what exact rumors were being circulated, but the threat of sanctions must have been pretty harsh for officers to risk undertaking a hasty coup instead of taking an early retirement or a transfer to an unimportant post.

Or did they risk more in a purge?

So... after everyone has become afraid of the purge, there had to be some people going around to garner support for a coup... who were these initiators?

My feeling is they were infiltrated agents of Erdogan.

So they put up a nice plan, such as capture Erdogan, the cabinet and main political leaders, as well as the most important religious clerics, shut down the media, mobile phone, internet.

Such a coup obviously should begin with commando operations capturing political leaders and shutting down communications. Once these operations were begun and mostly successful, army forces could come out of the barracks.

My theory is that Erdogan-loyalists infiltrated within the coup's chain of command took charge of these important operations and later sent to the coup HQ fake reports of the capture of Erdogan and ministers, etc. which allowed the full coup to unfold and reveal all insurgents.

I found this piece of news supporting that theory:

Erdoğan’s hotel bombed

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was also a target of the coup attempters as a number of helicopters bombed a hotel where he was accommodating in the Aegean resort town of Marmaris only less than two hours after the president left the place for coming to Istanbul to address a large public meeting at Istanbul’s Atatürk International Airport.

Police and soldiers clashed at the hotel and at least one police officer was killed there.

after some time, the coup leaders reckoned they had been duped and sent soldiers there as a last attempt to get Erdogan.

another interesting page:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-general-staff-rejects-accusations-of-coup-plans-.aspx

[Nasrullah]

The coup failed because Erdogan knew the military, especially the "old guard", saw themselves as the protectors of the secular state the Ataturk created and for years he has been systematically replacing a lot of that old guard with new faces that owe their positions (and loyalty) to him, not to the state. As a result, this poorly planned coup had little chance of succeeding.

I mean, holey crapola - they didn't even capture/arrest the President (Erdogan) or the Prime Minister, or anyone else of importance other than the military chief of staff. Normally you execute a coup when the leader is out of the country, or when you can (easily) arrest him and most of his government in one fell swoop. (Remember how Prayut did it ?)

I was actually a bit surprised to see the people take to the streets. Traditionally the Turks have always viewed the military as their protectors and have stood behind them in solidarity for generations. Seeing them standing in front of the military shows just how much Erdogan has been able to change the country since he's been in power.

Erdogan is a fundamentalist Sunni and has been, slowly, trying to push Turkey into becoming an Islamic state. He was the Prime Minister for as long as was allowed and is now the President (kind of like what Putin did in Russia) and he (Erdogan) has been pushing for constitutional changes that would grant/consolidate more power to the President's position. (Gee, I wonder why........) This failed coup will no doubt give Erdogan the support he needs to make those changes "for the good of the nation" and once he has that there'll be no turning back (especially with the military in his back pocket now).

Erdogan has on one hand been actively battling the Kurds to prevent them from separating and forming their own country. On the other hand he has been (openly) supporting the rebels trying to topple Assad, including the "Turkmen" (ethnic Turks living in Syria). Remember how PO'd he was when the Russians bombed some Turkmen and how Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet ? I suspect that he hopes Assad will fall and then he (Erdogan) will try to annex the lands the Turkmen inhabit and add them to Turkey. (Sound familiar ?) If Assad falls Syria will no doubt turn into a basket case of a state just like Libya so it probably wouldn't be hard for Erdogan to steal as much land as he wants. The UN/EU/NATO/et al would probably turn a blind eye to it "for the greater good". (Also sound familiar ?)

This coup failed so badly, on so many levels, that one would almost suspect it was deliberately staged. That would (perhaps) account for things like why most of the rank & file soldiers were (apparently) new conscripts (that wouldn't know any better) and the poor planning and execution of the operation.

Brilliant analysis. Thx.

+1

Calling Turkey a democracy because there are elections is like calling a Big Mac healthy because it has tomatoes.

[Nasrullah]

Whether Gulen involved or coup staged, outcome is the same: More power to a corrupt, dangerous man. Decision time for US/EU.

[AsiaCheese]

I feel that this episode may have put a deffinate stop on Turkey's initiation into the EU for a couple of decades. Ya think?

To the contrary: I read somewhere (unfortunately I don't have a link, and I don't know if those statements were genuine either) that EU bigshots said that they want to speed up Turkey's integration into the EU to "stabilize the situation", and another EU mouthpiece saying that "see - that's why we need an European army, to help out in situations like these". The mind boggles...

Edited July 17, 2016 by AsiaCheese

[arjunadawn]

Whether Gulen involved or coup staged, outcome is the same: More power to a corrupt, dangerous man. Decision time for US/EU.

I didn't comment earlier because kerryd said it all...almost. I don't believe for a moment the US had no hint of this. Not at all. Besides the deep deep connection to Obama Erdogan and MB, the US has more signals Intel in this area then any other place on earth.

Gulen or Erdogan or 6/1 1/2 dozen of the other from a long term view. The real play constantly evolving in this Great Game #3 is the Muslim brotherhood. Folks, Turkey is the seed, the caliph the prize, and the inhumanity of IS the thing that's mitigated to make a caliphate palatable.

No way the US doesn't know. The timetable is now! IMO the next 6 months will be watershed.

[JHolmesJr]

This Erdogan guy...scraps with Putin....scraps with the USA...he must have some powerful cards to do that.

[Nasrullah]

Whether Gulen involved or coup staged, outcome is the same: More power to a corrupt, dangerous man. Decision time for US/EU.

I didn't comment earlier because kerryd said it all...almost. I don't believe for a moment the US had no hint of this. Not at all. Besides the deep deep connection to Obama Erdogan and MB, the US has more signals Intel in this area then any other place on earth.

Gulen or Erdogan or 6/1 1/2 dozen of the other from a long term view. The real play constantly evolving in this Great Game #3 is the Muslim brotherhood. Folks, Turkey is the seed, the caliph the prize, and the inhumanity of IS the thing that's mitigated to make a caliphate palatable.

No way the US doesn't know. The timetable is now! IMO the next 6 months will be watershed.

FWIW...i think it was staged.

a political staged coup...come on...6000 purged ...i don't believe the numbers!!

As for erdogan calling out the US on culpability??.......how about collusion??.....everyone gets what they want..

Assad's the prize....

[Nasrullah]

This Erdogan guy...scraps with Putin....scraps with the USA...he must have some powerful cards to do that.

Very good observation..........the scrap with the US is a red herring............The US is his most powerful card!

[arjunadawn]

Whether Gulen involved or coup staged, outcome is the same: More power to a corrupt, dangerous man. Decision time for US/EU.

I didn't comment earlier because kerryd said it all...almost. I don't believe for a moment the US had no hint of this. Not at all. Besides the deep deep connection to Obama Erdogan and MB, the US has more signals Intel in this area then any other place on earth.

Gulen or Erdogan or 6/1 1/2 dozen of the other from a long term view. The real play constantly evolving in this Great Game #3 is the Muslim brotherhood. Folks, Turkey is the seed, the caliph the prize, and the inhumanity of IS the thing that's mitigated to make a caliphate palatable.

No way the US doesn't know. The timetable is now! IMO the next 6 months will be watershed.

FWIW...i think it was staged.

a political staged coup...come on...6000 purged ...i don't believe the numbers!!

As for erdogan calling out the US on culpability??.......how about collusion??.....everyone gets what they want..

Assad's the prize....

The cui bono? test will always point to the direction of the perpetrators. In this case there is also a long history of crisis-solution false flag by Erdogan. No kidding. He has his eye on a Turkish caliphate always. Not in Raqqa, but Istanbul. IMO. this is the sole reason and the absurdity and inaction against DAESH. Why? Because IS is something to be later disposed of, no more.

However, the legitimacy extended that a caliphate can exist is now common in the modern lexicon. Remove IS, proffer all that is gained- stability, reigning in renegades, trading partner, etc., and it can be packaged and sold.

[Nasrullah]

^^^.......yes.....weaken assad as much as possible using ISIS(arms smuggled thru turkey)and 'take care' of both at a more convenient time.....

[Kerryd]

"EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said at a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the coup "is no excuse to take the country away from fundamental rights and the rule of law, and we will be extremely vigilant on that."

"Mogherini said the talks on Turkey's bid to join the European Union would end if Ankara restores the death penalty. That message was echoed by Germany, the EU's biggest state."

"Mostafa Minawi, director of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Initiative at Cornell University, called the failed coup "a gift for President Erdogan, given him all the justification he needs to implement further clamp down measures against any dissenters, in the process sinking Turkey deeper into authoritarianism."

"Anadolu said 8,777 employees attached to the Interior Ministry were dismissed, including 30 governors, 52 civil service inspectors and 16 legal advisers."

"Over the weekend, Turkey responded to the coup attempt by rounding up some 6,000 people, including hundreds of judges and prosecutors."

Supposedly there was a large investigation going on regarding the military, before the coup attempt. From the sounds of it Erdogan was planning to do a purge of the military to remove even more potential obstacles to his plans and certain elements decided to try and jump the gun before they found themselves booted out and relatively powerless to do anything.

Now Erdogan (as was suspected) is using the failed coup as an excuse to remove anyone else that may be a hindrance to his plans. No doubt they will be replaced with people whose prime qualification will be unswerving loyalty to Erdogan. What better way to buy loyalty than to give unqualified supporters high paying positions of power that they'd never be able to obtain on their own ? (Note: that works in the Western world as well.)

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt did that as well. Convinced the people that they were all righteous and holy and as soon as they got into power showed themselves to be the same corrupt criminals that they'd been before "renouncing" violence. One of the first things they did was appoint all their "inner circle" to positions of power and start handing out positions and promotions to friends and family. The people that had supported them caught on pretty quickly and were not impressed (and then they got booted out by the military - something I'm sure Erdogan has kept in mind since day 1).

The Taliban were not much different either. After driving out the Russians the Afghans turned on each other to fight for control of the country. The Taliban ("taliban" = "students of god") were all "righteous and holy" as well. Except that they weren't. Rape, torture, extortion, robbery, murder - all just day-to-day activities for those "students of god" who quickly proved themselves to be nothing but a pack of low-life criminals using religion as a cover for their crimes.

Reading some articles about the aftermath of the failed coup and from the sounds of a lot of the citizens, they blame everything on Turkey being a "secular" nation, especially (naturally) those in the more conservative, religious regions (like Istanbul) compared to those in more "secular" areas like the capital Ankara (which was chosen as the capital by Ataturk who wanted Turkey to be a secular nation). It won't take much to stoke the religious fervour of the fundies, especially now. It would not surprise me at all if the next time the military took to the streets it would be in support of religious fundamentalists seeking to turn Turkey into an Islamic state.

[Michael8511]

"EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said at a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the coup "is no excuse to take the country away from fundamental rights and the rule of law, and we will be extremely vigilant on that."

"Mogherini said the talks on Turkey's bid to join the European Union would end if Ankara restores the death penalty. That message was echoed by Germany, the EU's biggest state."

"Mostafa Minawi, director of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Initiative at Cornell University, called the failed coup "a gift for President Erdogan, given him all the justification he needs to implement further clamp down measures against any dissenters, in the process sinking Turkey deeper into authoritarianism."

"Anadolu said 8,777 employees attached to the Interior Ministry were dismissed, including 30 governors, 52 civil service inspectors and 16 legal advisers."

"Over the weekend, Turkey responded to the coup attempt by rounding up some 6,000 people, including hundreds of judges and prosecutors."

Supposedly there was a large investigation going on regarding the military, before the coup attempt. From the sounds of it Erdogan was planning to do a purge of the military to remove even more potential obstacles to his plans and certain elements decided to try and jump the gun before they found themselves booted out and relatively powerless to do anything.

Now Erdogan (as was suspected) is using the failed coup as an excuse to remove anyone else that may be a hindrance to his plans. No doubt they will be replaced with people whose prime qualification will be unswerving loyalty to Erdogan. What better way to buy loyalty than to give unqualified supporters high paying positions of power that they'd never be able to obtain on their own ? (Note: that works in the Western world as well.)

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt did that as well. Convinced the people that they were all righteous and holy and as soon as they got into power showed themselves to be the same corrupt criminals that they'd been before "renouncing" violence. One of the first things they did was appoint all their "inner circle" to positions of power and start handing out positions and promotions to friends and family. The people that had supported them caught on pretty quickly and were not impressed (and then they got booted out by the military - something I'm sure Erdogan has kept in mind since day 1).

The Taliban were not much different either. After driving out the Russians the Afghans turned on each other to fight for control of the country. The Taliban ("taliban" = "students of god") were all "righteous and holy" as well. Except that they weren't. Rape, torture, extortion, robbery, murder - all just day-to-day activities for those "students of god" who quickly proved themselves to be nothing but a pack of low-life criminals using religion as a cover for their crimes.

Reading some articles about the aftermath of the failed coup and from the sounds of a lot of the citizens, they blame everything on Turkey being a "secular" nation, especially (naturally) those in the more conservative, religious regions (like Istanbul) compared to those in more "secular" areas like the capital Ankara (which was chosen as the capital by Ataturk who wanted Turkey to be a secular nation). It won't take much to stoke the religious fervour of the fundies, especially now. It would not surprise me at all if the next time the military took to the streets it would be in support of religious fundamentalists seeking to turn Turkey into an Islamic state.

This was just a part of the Turkish governments play and a step closer to Islamic state.

[Steely Dan]

This is all we need with Emperor Nero at the helm.

http://app.debka.com/p/article/25560/Erdogan-locks-US-airmen-nuclear-arms-in-Incirlik