http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36809083
Unauthorised military action.
What a time to be alive.
World was always in conflict but rolling twitter and news feeds makes it seem relentless...
Quote from: Tony Baloney on July 15, 2016, 09:21:50 PM
What a time to be alive.
Us older people will always recall the second half of 1989, interesting times indeed.
Turkish military release statement saying 'they have taken over'. Tanks and soldiers on the streets. Worrying times.
This would be huge and very bad. Really hope it's not successful
Well. The fella has been a bit of a dictator, hasn't he?
Quote from: Eamonnca1 on July 15, 2016, 09:59:13 PM
Well. The fella has been a bit of a dictator, hasn't he?
Absolutely but still democratically elected afaik
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1e11f52a-4ac9-11e6-8d68-72e9211e86ab.html#ixzz4EVwGeH1H
July 15, 2016 9:23 pm
Turkish PM says elements of army trying to seize power
By Mehul Srivastava, Laura Pitel and Funja Guler
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JULY 15: Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde on July 15, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul's bridges across the Bosphorus, the strait separating the European and Asian sides of the city, have been closed to traffic. Reports have suggested that a group within Turkey's military have attempted to overthrow the government. Security forces have been called in as Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim denounced an "illegal action" by a military "group", with bridges closed in Istanbul and aircraft flying low over the capital of Ankara. (Photo by Gokhan Tan/Getty Images)
©Getty
The Turkish government was battling what Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called an illegal action by military officers, and the Turkish military described as a takeover of the country.
Speaking via phone to the NTV television channel, Mr Yildirim denied that the military actions throughout the day, which included fighter jets buzzing the skies of the capital, reports of tanks in the streets and the closure of major bridges and roads, amounted to a coup.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose whereabouts have been unknown for the past few hours as the country battles what an attempted coup, is expected to appear on television shortly. No government officials other than Mr Yildirim have made any statement so far.
"There is an uprising from within the army," he said, without elaborating. "Those who are doing this will be punished in the hardest way."
The military, which has toppled the government at least three times since 1960, said it had taken over the "administration of the country, to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and the general security that was damaged."
The statement was read out also on NTV, as embassies in Ankara ordered their staff to safety, and social media showed unverifiable images of shots fired by men in military uniform and military vehicles in the main thoroughfares of Ankara, the capital.
Istanbul Mayor İbrahim Melih Gökçek called on all citizens to take to the streets on his Twitter account.
A source in the president's office said: "This is an attack against Turkish democracy. A group within the Armed Forces has made an attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government outside the chain of command. The statement made on behalf of the Armed Forces wasn't authorized by the military command. We urge the world to stand in solidarity with the Turkish people."
Access to social media was cut off in various parts of the country. Access roads to the international airport were blocked.
The Greek military put its forces on alert following reports of the attempted military coup in neighbouring Turkey, according to a senior Greek official. Greece and Turkey have long been regional rivals, occasionally fighting wars in recent decades.
The White House said it was just getting reports of the situation in Turkey, but did not have any comment.
Speaking in Moscow, US secretary of state John Kerry said: "We hope there will be stability, peace and continuity in Turkey." He declined to comment further, adding that he had heard about events in Turkey only minutes earlier after a day of intensive talks with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
American companies with significant operations in Turkey include Boeing and Lockheed Martin. JPMorgan Chase said it was "monitoring the situation and contacting local staff"
Mr Yildirim said that the government remained in charge. "We are focusing on the possibility of an attempt [coup]," he said. "There was an illegal act by a group within the military that was acting out of the chain of military command. Our people should know that we will not allow any activity that would harm democracy."
"Peace council" in charge, dont like the sound of that...usually means the opposite
I would say Erdogan has a well padded Swiss bank account if it all goes tits up.
Quote from: Tony Baloney on July 15, 2016, 10:20:57 PM
I would say Erdogan has a well padded Swiss bank account if it all goes tits up.
And a gold plated gulfstream to get out in
Wonder what their take on Secularism v Religious Government is. Turkey's Government has been moving towards the latter without much respect for Turkey's 'secular' freedoms.
https://twitter.com/bojomp/status/754052318304342017
Quote from: bennydorano on July 15, 2016, 10:24:42 PM
Wonder what their take on Secularism v Religious Government is. Turkey's Government has been moving towards the latter without much respect for Turkey's 'secular' freedoms.
The army is ultra secular. And they hate Erdogan. He is turning into a dictator.
He is back stirring shite with the Kurds and the Alevis.
Turkey behaved oddly with a couple of u-turns very recently.
They apologised to the Russians for shooting down the fighter jet and they were cosying up to Assad in the last week.
Now this.
Something else is going on.
I would shed no tears for his departure. Wonder is it an indigenous coup, Russian or US backing both possible!
Quote from: muppet on July 15, 2016, 10:32:55 PM
Turkey behaved oddly with a couple of u-turns very recently.
They apologies to the Russians for shooting down the fighter jet and they were cosying up to Assad in the last week.
Now this.
Something else is going on.
High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7ea45ed8-3ed4-11e6-9f2c-36b487ebd80a.html
And while Isis is a top priority in the US and Europe, in Turkey, Kurdish separatism has a long-established status as the deepest fear among many ethnic Turks. The resurgence of the 30-year conflict with the PKK means that funerals for Turkish soldiers feature almost daily on the evening news.
The police and intelligence services, meanwhile, are overstretched fighting the PKK, Isis and Mr Erdogan's domestic enemies.
"For Turkey to confront all these security threats at once is an overwhelming task," Ms Goksel said.
He's calling people onto the streets...in other words hes fucked
Must be more to it than "secularism" and democracry that both sides are bandying about. I would safely say neither sides gives a shite about either
TURKEY BLOCKS TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE
But not Pokémon go
The political situation is chaotic. I was thinking it sounds like Thailand
Would be some ploy by the Russians to infiltrate a NATO military and then overthrow the goverment. ;D
Russia has no role in this... CIA much more likely to be, although we should find out soon enough. I would say the security situation there has a big role in it, ....
Quote from: omaghjoe on July 15, 2016, 10:36:05 PM
He's calling people onto the streets...in other words hes fucked
Must be more to it than "secularism" and democracry that both sides are bandying about. I would safely say neither sides gives a shite about either
Rightly or wrong the Turkish army sees itself as the heirs of Ataturk and so secularism.
It might be about Kurdish separatism. The kurds in Syria are winning Vs Isis and are not going back to the status quo . Turkey is only 50% Sunni turk. It has big Shia and Kurd populations who have been kept down for years . The war in Syria is driving a lot of change.
Quote from: armaghniac on July 15, 2016, 10:41:42 PM
Quote from: omaghjoe on July 15, 2016, 10:36:05 PM
He's calling people onto the streets...in other words hes fucked
Must be more to it than "secularism" and democracry that both sides are bandying about. I would safely say neither sides gives a shite about either
Rightly or wrong the Turkish army sees itself as the heirs of Ataturk and so secularism.
Well lets hope Ataturk is on their minds and not the Ottoman Sultans otherwise things could get very interesting.
Although their rule did bring peace and stability to that region for centuries so....
Quote from: bennydorano on July 15, 2016, 10:33:35 PM
I would shed no tears for his departure. Wonder is it an indigenous coup, Russian or US backing both possible!
I would assume some covert support.
This is a NATO member bordering Iran, Iraq and Syria.
Alex Salmond organised it to drive up the price of oil.
Fascinating!!!
Al Jazeera England seem to be well ahead of the curve they are showing their live feed on Facebook.
The military have withdrawn from Ataturk Airport... Time is ripe for ISIS to do something big in Turkey as well but hopefully not.
A military coup is not a good idea!!
Another holiday destination gone... Never been and more than likely never will
Quote from: Milltown Row2 on July 15, 2016, 11:38:33 PM
Another holiday destination gone... Never been and more than likely never will
There'll be some great deals now.
Possibly the Judean People's Front??
Looks like the coup won't hold not enough support...
God help those involved they're fucked!!!
Quote from: Milltown Row2 on July 15, 2016, 11:38:33 PM
Another holiday destination gone... Never been and more than likely never will
Soon Portrush will control the market the way things are going.
Coup failed in Istanbul, but fighting ongoing in Ankara.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/3/48c8afd8-4af7-11e6-8d68-72e9211e86ab.html
Turkey slips into the chaos of the Middle East
David Gardner
The plot against Erdogan risks impairing the Nato ally's fight against Isis, writes David Gardner
©Reuters
The bridge linking Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus in Istanbul was lit up in France's national colours to mark Turkey's solidarity after the horrendous Bastille Day truck attack on a festive crowd in Nice. Then, all of a sudden, troops took it over in an attempted coup, ostensibly aimed at restoring the secular order of the republic built on Jacobin lines in the last century by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk — slowly bent into neo-Islamist shape by Recep Tayyip Erdogan during this century.
Soldiers and tanks took over TV stations, airports and bridges. The state broadcaster, TRT, went off the air. Jets screamed overhead. Mr Erdogan, a three-time prime minister and now president who has made a habit of closing down dissident newspapers and broadcasters, jailing journalists and shuttering social media, was obliged to address the nation via mobile phone, through the FaceTime video app, held up by a CNN Turk newsreader for public perusal.
This shambolic melange of retro and digital could serve as a metaphor for the way in which Mr Erdogan has simultaneously modernised Turkey and taken it back towards a sort of neo-Ottoman authoritarianism with himself as the contemporary sultan.
Tyrannical in temperament, and bent on untrammelled rule as an executive president under a new French-style constitution he seeks, Mr Erdogan has nevertheless won 10 elections in a row since 2002. He has a preternatural rapport with half the Turkish people and many of his supporters last night answered his call to take to the streets. He and they are making a fight of it. The soldiers who have set the tanks rolling once more had better be sure they have a lot of support — and not just in the army.
One reason for Mr Erdogan's spectacular political success is that liberals and leftists repudiated a political culture that saw a coup each decade, and lent their support to his moderately Islamist Justice and Development party (AKP) when it stood up to Turkey's overmighty generals. The army tried to ban the AKP after its second general election victory in 2007, but retreated in the face of a massive government purge, which put one in 10 generals behind bars and defanged the general staff.
To do this, Mr Erdogan relied on a strike force of police, prosecutors and spies loyal to Fethullah Gulen, a secretive Islamic imam resident in the US. As the military trials got ever more baroque with embellished evidence, the AKP came to blows with the Gulenists, who launched corruption probes in 2013 into Mr Erdogan's inner circle. The ferocity of this intra-Islamist civil war has buckled Turkey's institutions, and brought the army back towards the circle of power. But in the government's conspiratorial view, it is the Gulenist "parallel state" — the erstwhile hammer of the generals — that is behind this attempted coup.
There is disaffection in the army, not just because of its loss of influence but with Turkey's Syria policy. The government until recently permitted a jihadi pipeline of volunteers and arms into Syria, which has enabled Isis to build a network of cells inside the country. Last year, Isis bombed targets linked to the reignited Kurdish insurgency Ankara has fought for three decades. This year it is targeting the Turkish state, not least with its lethal attack on Istanbul's Ataturk international airport last month. The response to Isis of Mr Erdogan, preoccupied with the Kurdish question, the Gulenists, and cementing his one-man rule, has been tepid.
If, as appeared likely early today, this military plot collapses, Turkey will face a new purge of its security capacity. The AKP battles with the army and then the Gulenists weakened military and police intelligence. However this episode turns out it will further impair the immune system of a Nato country that has been slipping away from Europe into the chaos of the Middle East.
Disappointed the coup failed. Erdogan seems to be carrying out in Turkey what Putin has managed to in Russia, running as PM and then President, steadily increasing the Presidential powers while locking up political dissidents and taking control of media outlets critical of his regime. However, because Turkey is a member of NATO and Europe needs their cooperation to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, Erdogan is largely free of the critical press that targets Putin. I wonder if this coup had been carried out in Russia, would people be so quick to condemn it and say that Putin has been democratically elected and should therefore remain.
Turkey referendum: Erdogan wins vote to expand presidential powers - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39617700
Quote from: bennydorano on April 16, 2017, 11:34:57 PM
Turkey referendum: Erdogan wins vote to expand presidential powers - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39617700
Seems like bad news
Being viewed as a bad miscalculation by Erdogan.
BBC News - Istanbul mayoral re-run: Erdogan's ruling AKP lose again
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48739256
Quote from: bennydorano on June 23, 2019, 09:12:24 PM
Being viewed as a bad miscalculation by Erdogan.
BBC News - Istanbul mayoral re-run: Erdogan's ruling AKP lose again
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48739256
You have left wing parties and right wing ones, conservative parties and liberal ones, but all of them suffer from hubris and expect the voters just to vote for them.
There's s a wannabe Tyrant about Erdogan, he just can't get it across the line.