# Coup in Turkey **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 16, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017 "2016-07-16T00:27:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017/1 "2016-07-16T00:27:20Z")
There’s been breaking news of a coup in Turkey, which is both surprising in the specific sense and not remotely shocking in the general. Right now there are many vague and often conflicting reports. We don’t know who is involved where they are. Some reports suggest it’s already over, although I doubt that very much given other information coming through. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017/2 "2016-07-16T00:45:00Z")
Current event thread in [IMHO](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=798509). Unfortunately attracting a little non-current event commentary of course, as is the nature of such things ;). ---
**Author:** ![Longshanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Longshanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Longshanks)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017/3 "2016-07-16T00:46:01Z")
Doesn’t seem to be an all out military coup like the last few ones were, as only 2 cities seem to be in unrest. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017/4 "2016-07-16T05:57:21Z")
This is the modern version of the night of the long knives. Who can oppose Erdogan now? His political opponents are driven to exile or arrested, and now there’s a convenient excuse to accelerate the army purges. Turkey is transitioning into an Islamist dictatorship, and today was the tipping point. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017/5 "2016-07-16T11:10:21Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Turkey is transitioning into an Islamist dictatorship, and today was the tipping point. Can’t help but agree. I feel that once the coup started it would have been better for everyone, in the long run, that it succeeded. On the upside, this should hopefully put to rest any notions of Turkey joining the EU. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017/6 "2016-07-16T13:44:16Z")
It’s going to be bloody, for sure. Erdogan was already a threat to the military and this was probably a desperate attempt to save freedom and secularism, which the other half of Turks wanted. Too little, too late it seems. We’re seeing what happens when the religious majority gets their way. I certainly hope this is the end of their EU aspirations, but who knows these days. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017/7 "2016-07-16T16:15:53Z")
The [BBC](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36814044) is saying the coup has failed and the government is back in control. Doesn’t sound like it was too bloody, though I assume those in command are going to get fairly harsh punishments for the attempted coup. > [@](#): > > Why did Turkish coup plot fail? > > There was little sign of President Recep Erdogan as the plotters took over buildings and media outlets. They needed to secure the support of the public and especially the majority of the military. > > Prime Minister Binali Yildirim appeared to be leading resistance to the coup, but as most Turks know, it is President Erdogan who wields the power and has designs on extending it. > > If the coup was going to succeed, the conspirators had to keep him out of the picture and they were unable to do so. “I am the chief commander,” he said later. > > When the tide turned > > For hours it was unclear where President Erdogan was. Reports said he was on holiday at the Aegean resort of Marmaris, deep in Turkey’s south-west. > > The tide turned when the president flew into Istanbul’s Ataturk airport and gave a defiant news conference. > > The moment he touched base in Istanbul it was clear the government was regaining control and had the support of senior military figures. > > Ankara, where his palace and the government are based, was not yet secure, but in Istanbul he was able to address Turkey directly. > > It had been “an act of treason and rebellion”, he told reporters. Ilnur Cevik, a senior presidential adviser, told the BBC soon afterwards that the coup had been defeated by the will of the Turkish population. > > “It’s very clear there was a coup attempt but rapidly the situation turned in favour of the government and Erdogan asked the people to flock into the streets in Ankara and Istanbul and that’s what they did.” > > It was the Turkish people who reclaimed Ataturk airport from the military and the people who took back state TV and radio from the military, he said. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017/8 "2016-07-16T17:03:33Z")
Dang. I was really hoping they could pull it off. Now Erdogan is going to be even more of an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017/9 "2016-07-16T19:03:28Z")
I’d have to wonder just how secular and democratic and stable a military government would be there. The people gave Turkey Erdogan’s Islamism democratically, and would again, especially with a grievance against military intervention. If that’s really what was happening there. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coup-in-turkey/760017/10 "2016-07-16T19:35:55Z")
Like I said in the other thread, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was an orchestrated plot to frame the Gulen movement and strengthen Erdogans stranglehold on Turkish politics.