21–30 of 298 posts
This is like Afghanistan in the 80s, all over again. We should have let the Russians keep them in check, and here we are, arming the wrong side the entire time.
Good times.
For the most part, America had nothing to do with the coup attempt and had no idea that it was about to happen. Honestly, the majority of Americans couldn't find Turkey on a map even if you centered the map on Turkey. However, I certainly wouldn't be surprised if a few CIA types provided assistance like they've been known (or suspected) to do in South America and other parts of the world. The US government clearly be…
The question is, will America turn against Turkey, too, or are the threats to exclude them out of NATO just empty ones? It will also be interesting to see if the EU will condemn this "democratic regime" they were so quick to defend after the coup.
The president of the European Parliament followed up his "we support the democratically elected government" tweet with another tweet condemning that same government's actions following the failed coup, so that already happened. I'm also not sure how realistic losing Turkey as a NATO member is. They are in a strategic position that makes it worth to put up with most of their nonsense.
For the most part, America had nothing to do with the coup attempt and had no idea that it was about to happen. Honestly, the majority of Americans couldn't find Turkey on a map even if you centered the map on Turkey. However, I certainly wouldn't be surprised if a few CIA types provided assistance like they've been known (or suspected) to do in South America and other parts of the world. The US government clearly be…
You phrase this as though it should somehow be easier to find things on an unfamiliar map than on a familiar one.
I just finished reading last Chomsky book and that kind of post tastes so differently now. For example, that sentence is really strange: From the American perspective, Turkey has never been fully committed to the war against Islamist groups in Syria.
For the most part, America had nothing to do with the coup attempt and had no idea that it was about to happen. Honestly, the majority of Americans couldn't find Turkey on a map even if you centered the map on Turkey. However, I certainly wouldn't be surprised if a few CIA types provided assistance like they've been known (or suspected) to do in South America and other parts of the world. The US government clearly be…
We can't know that for sure. I wouldn't underestimate our intelligence. Even if they didn't participate, it's likely they were informed.
It is rumored that even the Saudis knew of the coup
What coup? This is looking more like the entire event was staged as a pretext for a complete takeover, similar to the Reichstag fire of 1930s Germany.
The Reichstag fire was blamed on the communists by the nazi party to brand them as traitors much like the coup is being blamed on the Gulen movement (which had a fall out with the AKP, Erdogan's ruling party). All signs point to the coup not being related to the Gulen movement at all and a lot of Erdogan's actions post-coup have been publicly justified with allegations about the Gulen movement that are obviously blatant lies.
Whether the coup itself was staged by Erdogan like the Reichstag fire was staged by the nazis is debatable. I personally think it was inevitable given the history of Turkey but it was carried out so incompetently and with little to no support from the military leadership that it's at least possible that it was intentionally made to happen the way it did (e.g. using agents provocateur to trigger the coup at a time when it was doomed to fail).
I don't think the actual soldiers who carried out the coup were knowingly working for Erdogan, them simply being "useful idiots" is far more likely. Either way, if you ask "cui bono?" all answers point to Erdogan and the AKP.
It's like how no one is willing to take care of the North Korea problem because leaving it alone is less of a headache than the alternative.
For the most part, America had nothing to do with the coup attempt and had no idea that it was about to happen. Honestly, the majority of Americans couldn't find Turkey on a map even if you centered the map on Turkey. However, I certainly wouldn't be surprised if a few CIA types provided assistance like they've been known (or suspected) to do in South America and other parts of the world. The US government clearly be…
The coup attempt seemed shockingly incompetent for anything staged by the CIA. Also what would be the motivation?