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According to the media there is currently a military coup in Turkey.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/jul/15/turkey-coup-attempt-military-gunfire-ankara

Airports are shut down and roads leading out of Ankara are blocked.

Yeah, I posted about this in the politics thread, but I think it's big enough to warrant its own.

It's weird watching the various live feeds. Some are happy and some are saying it's the worst thing ever and that Erdogan would be back.

I got a lot of friends from Turkey. An they are torn as well. Fearful for their family there, but most are hoping that at the end Erdogan will be Erdogone.

Dave said:

Some are happy and some are saying it's the worst thing ever and that Erdogan would be back.

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All of those things are possible, at the same time, or consecutively, depending.

They've apparently bombed the parliament building.

FOX Turkey reports that members of the parliament have descended down to the bunker in the TGNA, and that there are people injured.

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Both sides seem to be trying to claim victory at the moment.

Pretty conclusive win for Erdogan. Whether this is good or bad, we will see

Have friends that live in Istanbul. Good majority of the city believe that Erdogan staged this whole event to make himself seem like his military might is far superior.

All I can tell you is if you are going to try and overthrow a paranoid dictator, you'd better get the job done.

And how good is your military when your police force can rebuff it?

Dave said:

All I can tell you is if you are going to try and overthrow a paranoid dictator, you'd better get the job done.

And how good is your military when your police force can rebuff it?

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It looked like it was a small force that tried to launch a fast strike to seize control. They were rebuffed by other military forces still loyal to Erdogan. When the fighter jets started downing the rebels' attack helicopters, they started fleeing.

Zappit said:

When the fighter jets started downing the rebels' attack helicopters

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Now awaiting "Darth Erdogan" memes.

--Patrick

Erdogan axed around 2000 (some sources say 3000) judges who upheld the constitution and not Erdogans wishes.
There is talk of reinstating the death penalty. So much for becoming part of the EU.

LordRendar said:

Erdogan axed around 2000 (some sources say 3000) judges who upheld the constitution and not Erdogans wishes.
There is talk of reinstating the death penalty. So much for becoming part of the EU.

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Now expecting Darth Erdogan memes.

--Patrick

Yeah it's weird how in a military coup just as many judges were removed as military people.

Full fledged totalitarian state in NATO now it seems. Cool.

Frank said:

Full fledged totalitarian state in NATO now it seems. Cool.

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So people will look with respect and awe on NATO now like they do on the UN? We just need a MAJORITY of states in it to be totalitarian, and then we'll REALLY be like the UN.

15000 officials of the ministry of education are suspended including teachers from public schools
21000 teachers from private schools are not allowed to teach any more
1577 deans of various universities were forced to resign and the staff is not allowed to leave the country.
And now Erdogan declared a 3 month state of emergency to remove "threat to democracy, to the rule of law and to the rights and freedoms of the citizens in the country".

Yeah, I'm starting to agree with the conspiracy theorists that say he planned the whole thing. The lists of people removed is too quick to have been made after the fact. These had to have been in place well before the "coup".

That's some real terrifying stuff. Get rid of all academics. I guess it's easier to keep a populace in check if it's uneducated.

people suspect he had a "black list" prepared for an occasion like this

Yeah, no doubt, since at least one of the people being listed have been dead for months.

It's okay, he just suspended the European Human Rights Convention in Turkey. You know, so he can protect people's rights and freedoms.

Yeah. I think Turkey may not be in NATO much longer at this rate.

Eh, there's a Russian-Turkish summit planned in a few days; I have a slight feeling Putin will be more than happy to have a new strong partner in the Middle East, what with Assad pretty much becoming a non-factor quickly, despite their support. On the other hand, they've shown they're willing and able to provide a LOT of support and back-up to their allies when in need - Russia is still supporting Assad, after all - so they're a pretty good looking candidate for someone looking for new allies. NATO and the US are, frankly, more trouble than they're worth, from an authoritarian point of view. Meddle too much, demand too much, and when they're needed/wanted, they balk and debate and talk talk talk. Russia comes in guns blazing and has pretty much proven they'll stand with their allies through anything.

If we kick Turkey out of NATO does that mean we have to get rid of our bases there?

Apart from those bases, Turkey also controls the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, Russia's way into the Mediterranean.

Re: bases. Since the german government declared that the Osmanian Empire commited genocide against the armenians in WW1, german members of parliament weren't allowed to enter the base and visit the Bundeswehr contingent stationed in Turkey.

blotsfan said:

If we kick Turkey out of NATO does that mean we have to get rid of our bases there?

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Pretty much. From what I'm reading, Turkey is heading over to Russia in terms of alliances, and given Russia's advancements in the Middle East over the last few years, and the US's withdrawal, this only appears to be the natural progression of things.

The reality is that we've been disengaging, which has left a power vacuum, which has harmed Turkey. At least Russia is still firm on taking action. Turkey is in the middle of the whole thing and is not only strategically located, but is affected by the events of its neighbors.

Between the US and Russia, who do you think has a better posture in proactively working to protect its allies?

Besides all this, in the beginning of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, we asked a lot from Turkey, and they pushed back, turning us down on many base expansions and even overflight permission at times. They've been pulling away from us for over a decade.

I don't blame them, either, we were telling them how to deal with the Kurdish issue, and they were clearly not interested in our opinions on that matter. Our choosing to work with the Kurds at times perhaps was seen as a direct insult to our supposed NATO partner who had very strong views about them.