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Given the Turkish military’s propensity to overthrow the country’s government, Gul might not be around all that long - if he does not exercise his veto power over legislation passed by parliament under the leadership of political ally Erdogan that is perceived to pull the country towards Islamism.

The Army overthrows the country's government when the government (elected) leaders go too far off the secular path. Then it's simply a matter of new elections.

This Asian Times news item from a couple or three years ago 'splains a little for those who do not know.

. . .the first-ever Islamist premier, Necmettin Erbakan, then heading a coalition with a secular party, was forced to leave in 1997 for not curbing increasing fundamentalism in Turkey . . . direct military [takeover was] avoided. The military intervened directly in 1960 and 1980 when politicians had brought the country to an impasse. But after cleaning up the mess and getting a new constitution in place, the armed forces, as usual, returned to their barracks.

Another contentious item for the armed forces and the AKP is the purge of Islamists from the military. The military is not happy that the purged Islamists are sometimes given government jobs.

The AKP has direct connections to that 1997 Islamist effort.

4 posted on 08/29/2007 6:50:57 AM PDT by WilliamofCarmichael (If modern America's Man on Horseback is out there, Get on the damn horse already!)
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To: WilliamofCarmichael

IN most places a military coup is a catastrophe. Only Turkey is so f’d up that it’s an improvement.


7 posted on 08/29/2007 5:33:25 PM PDT by theothercheek ("Unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything." - U.S. Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall)
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