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Turkish Government Drains Power from Its Generals

(Globe and Mail-Canada) Susan Sachs - In the name of protecting the country, Turkey's generals have been able to make, break and shape governments for the past 50 years. They have taken power in three coups against elected civilian governments. Only 13 years ago they intervened to force out a fourth one. Now a remarkable shift is underway. In the past three years, civilian prosecutors have succeeded in arresting and indicting numerous high-ranking officers. Just last week, 196 military officers were ordered by a court to stand trial in one of the cases. More than 100 active duty and retired generals, force commanders and senior navy and army officers have been charged with participating in four different murky plots to destabilize Prime Minister Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development party. Dozens more mid-level officers have been indicted or detained in connection with various investigations. "The army is at its weakest in the last 30 years," said Hakan Yilmaz, a political science professor at Bosphorus University in Istanbul. "Its coup-making power is gone."
2010-08-03 09:08:09
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