If you thought Turkey was already an unreliable NATO ally, this won’t help.
Turkey: Military chiefs resign en masse
The chief of the Turkish armed forces, Isik Kosaner, has resigned along with the army, navy and air force heads.
They were furious about the arrest of senior officers, accused of plotting, shortly before a round of military promotions.
A series of meetings between General Kosaner and PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan failed to resolve their differences.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul moved quickly to appoint General Necdet Ozel as the new army chief.
Gen Ozel is widely expected to be swiftly elevated to chief of the general staff in place of Gen Kosaner. Tradition dictates that only the head of the army can take over the top job.
There has been a history of tension between the secularist military and the governing AK party, with the two sides engaged in a war of words for the past two years over allegations that parts of the military had been plotting a coup.
See also:
In Turkey, top military figures apparently resign en masse
Turkey’s military has at last stood aside
Turkey’s top generals resign in apparent rift with Erdogan government
Turkey’s military chiefs of staff resign
Turkish military’s chiefs of staff step down
Turkey’s top military leaders resign in protest of staff arrestsTurkey’s resignations, a sign of military decline
Turkey’s military chiefs quit ahead of key meeting
How Turkey’s military upheaval will affect NATO
Turkey’s reset
Analysis: Turkish government strengthens control on military
Government prepares for major overhaul of Turkish military
A Prime Minister’s Push Reshapes Turkish Politics
Traditionally, in Turkey, the military has served as check on Islamist forces and a key to maintaining a secular government.
/obviously, this development represents a substantial consolidation of power in the hands of Erdogan’s Islamist AK party and a big blow to the future of secularism in Turkey
Filed under: Blog Entry | Tagged: Abdullah Gul, Accused, Air Force, AK Party, Allegations, Ally, Appoint, Armed Forces, Army, Army Chief, Arrest, Chief, Chief Of The General Staff, Coup, Differences, Elevated, En Masse, Engaged, Failed, Furious, General, Governing, Heads, History, Isik Kosaner, Meetings, Military, Military Chiefs, Military Chiefs Resign, Military Promotions, Moved Quickly, NATO, Navy, Necdet Ozel, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Officers, Plotting, President, Prime Minister, Promotions, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Resign, Resigned, Round, Rresolve, Secularist, Secularist Military, Senior Officers, Series, Tension, Tradition, Tradition Dictates, Turkey, Turkish, Turkish Armed Forces, Turkish President, Unreliable, Unreliable Ally, War Of Words, Widely Expected | Leave a comment »
Eat It Or Wear It 