#Control is an illusion

I'm surprised the military waited this long to oust Erdogan.

Wonder if the EU still wants Turkey in their fold?

That's nobody's by business but the Turks.

@3: Maybe all the more so - a military-led, more-secular Turkey is likely to be much harsher with the Sunni Arab Death Cult on their southern border.

I have no idea what this means for the Kurds' national aspirations.

The shit is hitting the fan.

Has a member of NATO ever fallen to a Coup before? What's that look like?

@6 It coups have happened in Turkey a bunch of times. Last time was in 1980 though.
I can't imagine that this will stick. The Kemalists are so out of power that it would be shocking. That being said, Erdogan has been losing support right and left since the economy started sliding, the recent terrorism, and he has lost key support in his traditional base with his extravagant lifestyle. Whatever this is, it is the last chance of the traditional secular Turkish elite to stage a comeback. If this fails, Turkey will take a hard dive back in to Ottoman/ anti Western style rule.

@7: Basically this. This article could have used some context regarding Turkey's history in the Kemalist era.

Has a member of NATO ever fallen to a Coup before?

Do you consider Greece a member of NATO?

Weird to feel ambivalent about a coup.
Military coups are of course fucked. But the shit show that will follow, if this fails, will be titanic.
Also Erdogan's party generally acts as anti-intellectual bullies, capitalist extremists and religious sycophants.
So in a way, I am pro coup? Ugh. Sometimes, I am glad that my opinions hold no weight.

If it's a choice between secular military dictatorships and religious dictatorships, I think the former is easier on the country's people and the world.

There was a big Army command shake-up due next month. I think some of the officers decided to not take early retirement.

Ansel. Responsible reporters pick headlines such as "Possible Military Coup in Turkey" when it's not yet known if it's a coup or an attempted coup. Otherwise, they risk misleading their readers. Also, when reporting on a political situation of great import, they do not write sentences such as. "Good to know military coups are still a thing in this day and age. Turkey is a country of 74 million people, larger than both the United Kingdom and France."
1. The first sentence in that quote is idiotic. It provides no insight or meaningful information.
2. Those two sentences don't connect to each other in any meaningful way.

I know it's been a shit couple of weeks on a national and global level, but you can do far better than this. Please, please, do better than this.

@13
To help clarify your concerns,
Ansel is not a reporter in terms of trying to communicate facts

No oil in Turkey, so we may not get involved.

@6 were you homeschooled by illiterate shut in's?

Turkey has four coups since joining NATO in 1952. The last was in 1997.

France had two Coups. One successful.

Italy two coups. 1964 & 1967 Failed.

Greece one coup in 1970. Failed.

Portugal had a coup in 1974. Spain in 1981 but that was the year before they joined NATO.

Have you ever read a book or attended a history class not endorsed by a talk wingnuts radio host? Jesus. Every comment you make is more stupid than the ones before it.

@17, unfortunately it appears that Erdogan is taking the opportunity to purge that pesky judicial branch of government, as well as rounding up the usual suspects in the military.

Donaldo's trenchant comment: "I hope it all works out."