Turkey's moment of inflection

Survival

Volumn 52, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 39-50

  Barkey, Henri J ^a  

^a LEHIGH UNIVERSITY   (United States)

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EID: 77953475367     PISSN: 00396338     EISSN: 14682699     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/00396338.2010.494874     Document Type: Article

References (3)

1. Over the course of the last few years, the Turkish press has expounded on a variety of coup plots hatched by retired and active-duty officers as well their sympathisers in civil society. Some of these revelations have come about as a result of leaks from within the armed forces or state bureaucracy. Prosecutors investigating a series of violent events, such as bombings and murders, unearthed others. Dubbed the Ergenekon conspiracy by the media, in reality, these attempts at either creating conditions for a coup or implementing a coup were the brainchild of different groups, many of which were unaware of the existence of other conspirators. The most important of these revelations concern those of acting service chiefs in 2004, some of whom went on with their conspiratorial endeavours after retiring from the military. Although their efforts proved futile, the revelations have dealt the armed forces a serious blow to their prestige. Many retired officers, including three-and four-star generals, as well as active-duty officers have been arrested and imprisoned pending the investigation. This, in and of itself, is unheard of in Turkey where the military has enjoyed an unaccountable status in society.
2. Personal communication, March 2010.
3. Delphine Strauss, 'At the Garrison's Gate', Financial Times, 3 March 2010.