Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul (C in row on R) hosts an Iftar, the evening meal for breaking fast during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, for Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (3rd L in row on L), Ground Forces Commander and acting Chief of Staff General Necdet Ozel (3rd L in row on R) and other members of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) in Ankara August 3, 2011. REUTERS/Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Palace/Handout
President Gül approves Turkey’s new top military brass
from Hurriyet Dailynews by ISTANBUL – Hürriyet
The top commanding officers of the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK, were determined on Thursday after three days of deliberations by the Supreme Military Council, or YAŞ.
Turkey’s Civilian Government Gains Upper Hand After Top Military Resignations
from Yahoo news
The departure of the land forces commander, navy chief, and an air force general is a marked change for a country where the military usually pressures the government
Gov’t has no excuse, BDP says
by ANKARA- Hürriyet Daily News
The recent resignation of the army?s top brass has removed all pretexts for the government to stall on making serious efforts to resolve the Kurdish conflict, Turkey?s main pro-Kurdish political party said Monday.
A revolutionary memento
by HDN
The resignations of Turkey?s four highest-ranking soldiers on Friday were interpreted in the classical Turkish way. Two historic rivals clashed, and the military lost to the government with a final score of 0?4.
Turkey: Military Resignation Strategy Misfires | EurasiaNet.org
Chance for fresh military reforms
by LALE KEMAL
The resignations of four top generals recently, protesting the arrest of over 250 military officers, including some top generals, on charges of plotting an armed revolt to remove the government, could provide an important chance for the Turkish government to consolidate civilian democratic control of the armed forces. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have frequently intervened in politics, sometimes with military coups and sometimes by releasing memoranda against elected governments, since 1960. The last such memorandum was issued by the TSK in 2007.
The military gives up!
by ERGUN BABAHAN
Turkey has passed a critical juncture on its path to normalization. The Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) convened in the absence of the force commanders, who had requested retirement, and began making its decisions.
YAŞ and democracy
by Yavuz Donat Sabah
Turkey?s Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) is convening today. All eyes are on the meeting at the General Staff. Turkey has been focusing on this meeting, and there is an escalating tension in the country.
Turks Ponder Prime Minister Erdogan?s Power After Military Resignations
from NYT > Turkey by By ANTHONY SHADID
Critics of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan say resignations by Turkey?s military leaders may give Mr. Erdogan too much power.
Top Army Commanders Involved in “Internet Memorandum” Trial
The General Staff allegedly established dozens of anti-government internet sites. The second statement of Colonel Dursun Çiçek, detained defendant of the trial to the “Action Plan against Reactionary Forces”, contradicted the statements of several high-rank commanders.
Turkey sees police role in Kurdish fight
from Yahoo news
The Turkish military casts itself as a defender of the nation against internal threats as well as external ones, and describes soldiers who die in combat with Kurdish rebels as martyrs. Now a government plan to deploy elite police squads in the fight could undercut the traditional role of the armed forces, even as civilian leaders move forcefully to reduce its political power.
PROFILE: General Necdet Ozel, army man who keeps out of politics – Monsters and Critics
End of the First Republic? Hold on!
from Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Columnists by YAVUZ BAYDAR
After the historic resignation of Turkey’s once mighty top command and the ensuing reshuffle of its main figures, some pundits were quick to declare ?the end of the First Republic of Turkey.?
L?armée turque perd son bras de fer contre Erdogan
by Acturca
Le Figaro (France) no. 20838, lundi 1 août 2011, p. 5
Laure Marchand, Istanbul
La démission de l?état-major consacre l?affaiblissement du pouvoir militaire face à l?AKP.
Fin de partie pour l?armée turque
by Acturca
Le Figaro (France) no. 20838, lundi 1 août 2011, p. 19
Par Pierre Rousselin
En d?autres temps, cela aurait mené inévitablement à un coup d?État. La Turquie vient de connaître la démission en bloc de ses principaux chefs militaires, sans que le pays traverse la moindre crise politique.
En Turquie, les chefs de l?armée se retirent
by Acturca
Libération (France) lundi 1 août 2011, p. 6
Marc Semo
Fait sans précédent, la démission des principaux responsables de l?armée turque vendredi entérine la fin de son rôle politique dans le pays.
Vers la fin du rôle politique de l?armée turque ?
by Acturca
Le Soir (Belgique)
lundi 1 août 2011, p. 10
La démission fracassante des principaux chefs militaires vendredi en Turquie pourrait annoncer la fin d?une époque, selon des analystes : celle où l?armée jouait un rôle clé, parfois par la force, dans la vie politique.
« La vieille garde militaire a jeté l?éponge » , assure l?universitaire Ahmet Insel, auteur de deux livres sur l?armée turque. Ces démissions sont le signe d?un « bouleversement total dans les relations entre politiques et militaires » , estime le directeur du journal Hürriyet Daily News, Murat Yetkin.
« Le risque d?islamisme existe en Turquie »
by Acturca
Le Point.fr (France) lundi 1 août 2011
Armin Arefi
Nora Seni, directrice de l?IFEA, estime que le parti AKP est en train de « réécrire » la République turque laïque d?Atatürk.
Turkey’s military has at last stood aside | Ergun Babahan
from World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk by Ergun Babahan
The early retirement of key top brass is welcome news ? the new guard must learn that interference in politics is unacceptable
Turkey has passed a critical juncture on its path to normalisation. The Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) convened in the absence of the force commanders, who had requested retirement, and began making its decisions.
A Vastly Different Military In The Future?
from Kamil Pasha by Jenny White
The ongoing National Security Council Meeting for the first time has only the PM sitting at the head of the table; previously the Chief of Staff sat beside him.
According to Turkish news reports, the government aims to vastly restructure the military to bring it under civilian rule and to increase it?s effectiveness (it has come under intense criticism for its lack of success in dealing with PKK attacks and for the loss of many soldiers in allegedly insufficiently guarded outposts), and also to harmonize Turkey?s laws with those of the EU. There has been talk for some time now about creating a professional, rather than a conscript army. Some possible changes:
As Turkey’s Generals Resign, Democratic Challenges Remain
To understand the significance of last Friday’s mass resignation of Turkey’s top military commanders, consider the country’s recent history. My generation of university students in the ’90s often fled the relentless Mediterranean summer heat to go camping in the mountains, always half-jokingly speculating over whether we would emerge from the wilderness to find tanks on the streets.
VIDEO: Turkish PM denies crisis in military
from BBC News | Europe | World Edition
The Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, has denied there is any crisis in the country following the resignation of its four most senior commanders on Friday.
Websites to weaken government
by Hasan Cemal – Milliyet
A total of 43 websites were established by the General Staff. What was the intention behind these websites? To publish stories about Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan?s government, disseminate propaganda against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and launch defamation campaigns against the government, but their dirty business has now been exposed.
Christopher Hitchens: Turkish military is no longer the guardian of secularism | Full Comment | National Post
Comme la Turquie était jolie sous la botte des militaires ?
from YOL (routes de Turquie et d’ailleurs) by anne
Ouf, l’entretien de Nora Seni mis en ligne par le journal le POINT était un entretien tronqué auquel un titre racoleur avait été accolé. A vrai dire je m’en étais un peu douté en le lisant. Je ne connais pas Madame Seni, mais j’avais du mal à croire que la directrice de l’IFEA pouvait avoir une analyse aussi simpliste que celle présentée dans la première version . Ou alors c’était inquiétant pour cet institut.
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