The West must not abandon Turkey Huh? So are we supposed to meddle in other countries' politics and government? Or are we not?
Aren't we already doing this? Or are you being sarcastic?
Turkey is sliding into dictatorship
31–40 of 123 posts
Re: Turkey is sliding into dictatorship
#32The problem is the vote has likely already been counted and any voting is just for an aura of legitimacy.
We take votes very serious here and there are multiple NGOs that are on top of things all around the country. I've once worked with CHP on an election day at a local office and can say that it's nearly impossible to do tricks in any elections.
Re: Turkey is sliding into dictatorship
#33Now I wonder, what will the NATO do when Turkey becomes a dictatorship.
Re: Turkey is sliding into dictatorship
#34Sliding? More like rushing full throttle. Ataturk would be disgusted.
What makes reddit and now HN think Ataturk was some sort of beacon of democracy? > In January 1920, Mustafa Kemal advanced his troops into Marash where the Battle of Marash ensued against the French Armenian Legion. The battle resulted in a Turkish victory alongside the massacres of 5,000–12,000 Armenians spelling the end of the remaining Armenian population in the region. He finished off the Cilician Armenians from…
democracy and genocide are not incompatible
Re: Turkey is sliding into dictatorship
#35Sliding? More like rushing full throttle. Ataturk would be disgusted.
What makes reddit and now HN think Ataturk was some sort of beacon of democracy? > In January 1920, Mustafa Kemal advanced his troops into Marash where the Battle of Marash ensued against the French Armenian Legion. The battle resulted in a Turkish victory alongside the massacres of 5,000–12,000 Armenians spelling the end of the remaining Armenian population in the region. He finished off the Cilician Armenians from…
Read more on what lead to banishment of Armenians. If you attack unprotected Turkish villages with the help of foreign powers and betray your neighbours, you face the consequences, this is war.
Also there was no such thing as hating Armenians til aforementioned betrayal. At the time there were even couple of high ranking statesman like Gabriel Noradunkyan
from Armenians.
Re: Turkey is sliding into dictatorship
#36I've read the Economist for a long time, and they should be ashamed of themselves for not calling out how wrong they were when Erdogan was first elected. Their line was that the AK's "moderate Islamism" would be good for democracy long-term, and anyone who was afraid of political Islam was regressive. Yeah, sometimes editors and opinion pieces are wrong. But admit it when you are -- I haven't seen the Economist staff…
To be fair the Economist wasn't alone in a such optimistic proclamations surrounding Turkey's democracy in the region. Similar sentiment was coming out of Washington as well:
Re: Turkey is sliding into dictatorship
#37Sliding? More like rushing full throttle. Ataturk would be disgusted.
What makes reddit and now HN think Ataturk was some sort of beacon of democracy? > In January 1920, Mustafa Kemal advanced his troops into Marash where the Battle of Marash ensued against the French Armenian Legion. The battle resulted in a Turkish victory alongside the massacres of 5,000–12,000 Armenians spelling the end of the remaining Armenian population in the region. He finished off the Cilician Armenians from…
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Re: Turkey is sliding into dictatorship
#38All you need for constitutional reform is a 50% majority on a referendum. That seems way too easy.
A timely warning to the US, too - as more and more Senate votes are being decided by 50% majority rather than their traditional 2/3 (EDIT: sorry, 3/5). That both parties indulge in it should be worrying to everyone.
With Senate, the simple 50% majority is by design. That's consistent with most other bicameral parliaments out there, which also vote on a simple majority basis. Since the issues they can vote on are restricted by the Constitution, it's not really a big deal. The big deal is amending the Constitution itself, which is extremely difficult (if anything, probably more difficult than it should be).
Re: Turkey is sliding into dictatorship
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
What makes reddit and now HN think Ataturk was some sort of beacon of democracy? > In January 1920, Mustafa Kemal advanced his troops into Marash where the Battle of Marash ensued against the French Armenian Legion. The battle resulted in a Turkish victory alongside the massacres of 5,000–12,000 Armenians spelling the end of the remaining Armenian population in the region. He finished off the Cilician Armenians from…
It was war not genocide
Ah yes, like the holocaust was just war ...
It seems there are sometimes slightly cruel things you just have to do, if there is a war going on ... was that your point?
Re: Turkey is sliding into dictatorship
#40Now I wonder, what will the NATO do when Turkey becomes a dictatorship.
I suspect they'll beat around the issue. Most of the West's pertinent military conflicts are in the Middle East. Turkey's position makes it an extremely valuable ally and abdicating a significant strategic on moral grounds makes no military sense.