Erdogan seem to be really cleaning house this time. Now the pilots responsible for downing the Russian jet have been arrested in connection with the coup. Or so they say. Given that Erdogan tried to stabilize relations with Russia these last months, this might be yet another move to please Putin even further. His obvious brother in spirit.

I doubt he arrested the pilot to please Putin. The pilot probably was implicated in the coup. My suspicion is the more highly educated and technically oriented the military personel, the less he would find things to like in the erdogan regime.

Big explosion just reported in Ankara. Possibly the TV station.

There go the journalists. The Propaganda machine begins...
LOL... this would be funny in the way it's stereotyping a dictatorship... if it wasn't for real...

Erdogan still has most of the people behind him. That's why he can get away with it. Only when the economy goes downhill and things get actually worse, there may be a chance for change.

(July 19, 2016 at 5:23 am)SofaKingHigh Wrote: 2,700 judges......that's a lot of judges.

Just to clarify, I don't think it was all judges -- I believe that number includes prosecutors as well.

(July 19, 2016 at 2:46 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(July 19, 2016 at 5:23 am)SofaKingHigh Wrote: 2,700 judges......that's a lot of judges.

Just to clarify, I don't think it was all judges -- I believe that number includes prosecutors as well.

Give or take 1700 judges in Austria. A country of roughly 8 million people. 2700 judges. Turkey has 74,93 million people and covers a vast territorry. So 2700 is - maybe - 10 to 15 percent of all judges.

(July 19, 2016 at 11:31 am)abaris Wrote: Erdogan still has most of the people behind him. That's why he can get away with it. Only when the economy goes downhill and things get actually worse, there may be a chance for change.

Turkey's economy has already gone quite a ways down hill compared to the heady days when it appeared to defy gravity while much of Europe struggles under the Great Recession. Lavish budget promised to the Turkish military and military industry for the expressed purpose of letting turkey become self-sufficient across the board in advanced weaponry had been cut back, so that might be some part of the reason for discontent in the military.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36843180

Taking Turkey back to the 7th century.