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New York Times: Turkey And The Army

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  • New York Times: Turkey And The Army

    THE NEW YORK TIMES

    March 7, 2010
    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/opinion/08m on2.html?th&emc=th

    The recent arrest or detention of dozens of Turkish military officers
    for alleged coup plotting could signal a significant shift in power
    from the tarnished army to civilian leadership. These cases could
    help strengthen Turkish democracy - provided the government and the
    judiciary scrupulously apply the rule of law.

    For most of modern Turkey's history, the army has been dominant,
    and far too willing to use any means to keep Turkey a secular,
    Western-oriented state. That included overthrowing four democratically
    elected governments since 1960. As recently as 2007, the military
    tried to block the selection of Abdullah Gul of the Islamic-influenced
    Justice and Development Party (A.K.P.) as president largely on the
    ground that his wife wore an Islamic headscarf.

    The military's hold on political life has weakened steadily under
    A.K.P. rule and pressure from the European Union, which has insisted
    that as part of Ankara's bid for membership, the military must become
    more accountable to civilian leaders.

    The recent detentions and arrests came after a small independent
    newspaper, Taraf, published what it said were military documents
    from a 2003 meeting describing preparations for a coup. The military
    acknowledged the meeting but said it was focused only on protecting
    the country from external, not domestic, threats. Since the arrests,
    the military's top leaders have shown welcome restraint.

    Meanwhile, relations with the United States hit a new rut on
    Thursday when the House Foreign Affairs Committee denounced the
    World War I mass killings of Armenians as genocide. We think the
    resolution was unnecessary, just as Ankara's denial of that tragedy is
    self-destructive. Instead of threatening Washington with retaliation
    for the vote, Ankara should focus on getting a normalization deal
    with Armenia back on track.

    The United States and other Western countries need to keep nudging
    Turkey forward while keeping the hope of E.U. membership alive and
    credible.

    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan needs to curb his own autocratic
    tendencies and push for replacing the military-imposed constitution
    with one that enshrines rights for Kurds and other minorities,
    religious and press freedoms, a commitment to secular rule and a
    law-based judiciary. And Turkey's military leaders need to continue
    exercising restraint.
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