THERE IS NOW A COUP IN TURKEY.
THIS USED TO HAPPEN ONCE A DECADE, BUT IT HASN'T HAPPENED
IN QUITE SOME TIME.
THIS COUP IS UNUSUAL IN TWO WAYS, FIRST
COUPS IN TURKEY ARE NOT TO END DEMOCRACY, THEY ARE NORMALLY
DONE TO PROTECT SECULAR DEMOCRACY.
BUT THAT IS NOT THE
HISTORY IN TURKEY.
IN TURKEY USUALLY IF THE GOVERNMENT HAS
SUCCEEDED ITS MANDATE, THE MILITARY IS A PROTECTOR OF
SECULAR DEMOCRACY, THEY WILL STEP IN AND GET RID OF THAT
GOVERNMENT AND THEN HAVE ORDERLY ELECTIONS AFTERWARD.
NOW
ERDOGAN IS A RIGHT-WINGER, THE
PRESIDENT OF TURKEY.
HE CLAIMS THAT HE HAS WON ALL THESE
ELECTIONS.
HE SAYS HE IS ON THE
SIDE OF DEMOCRACY.
SO SOME OF THESE ELECTIONS HAD STRETCHED
THE
BOUNDS OF REASON.
THERE IS NOW A PEACE COUNCIL WHICH IS WHAT THE
COUP IS CALLING HAS CLAIMED OVER THE COUNTRY.
BUT THAT IS THE
SECOND INCREDIBLY UNUSUAL PART OF THIS.
NORMALLY A COUP HAPPENS
FAIRLY QUICKLY.
USUALLY THERE IS A DECISIVE BLOW, THEY TAKE OVER
THINGS LIKE THE MEDIA OUTLETS, AND IN THIS DAY AND AGE WE CAN
TAKE OVER THE MEDIA OUTLETS.
THE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY WENT ON
FACETIME TO GET HIS MESSAGE OUT.
YOU TAKE OVER THE MEDIA, YOU
TAKE OVER IMPORTANT POLICE INSTALLATIONS, THE AIRPORT, ETC.
AND YOU FINALLY GET THE PERSON YOU ARE TRYING TO DO A COUP ON.
RIGHT NOW IT APPEARS THEY DO NOT
HAVE THE PRESIDENT.
FURTHERMORE, THE MILITARY IS DIVIDED.
NORMALLY IT IS A UNITED MILITARY THAT DOES A COUP, IN THIS CASE
IT IS NOT.
IT IS NOT REMOTELY OVER.
THERE IS NO RESOLUTION TO
THIS COUP AS WE SPEAK.
WE ARE
DOING THIS LIVE.
THIS CAN STRETCH ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
I HAVE SOURCES FROM INSIDE
TURKEY THAT ARE SAYING THAT PEOPLE ARE OUT ON THE STREETS.
THE FACT THAT HE CALLED THE PEOPLE OUT SHOWS YOU GOOD NEWS
AND BAD NEWS FOR HIM.
HE DOES HAVE A LOT OF SUPPORTERS IN THE
COUNTRY.
HE IS CALLING OUT THE FUNDAMENTALIST PEOPLE.
SO THERE
HAS BEEN SHOOTING BACK AND FORTH.
JOHN WILL GIVE YOU
DETAILS ABOUT THAT.
THE POLICE ARE GENERALLY ON THE SIDE OF THE
GOVERNMENT.
THAT MEANS THE POLICE AND THE MILITARY ARE OFTEN IN CONFLICT
AND THERE ARE REPORTS OF SHOOTOUTS THERE AS WELL.
>> THE TELEGRAPH IS REPORTING THAT 17
POLICE OFFICERS THAT WERE KILLED.
IF THAT IS TRUE THEY WERE KILLED BY MILITARY.
>> ONE OF MY SOURCES SAYS THAT THE MILITARY WAS TRYING TO LAND
ON THE MOST IMPORTANT POLICE HEADQUARTERS IN ISTANBUL [VIDEO
BUFFERING] THEY CLAIM THAT IS WHAT STARTED THE HOSTILITIES ñ
BUT IN BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE MILITARY.
NOW THERE ARE
REPORTS THAT THERE ARE TANKS FIRING AT THE PARLIAMENT
BUILDING.
IN THE VERY BEGINNING OF THIS COUP, TURKISH TELEVISION
WAS RECORDING AS NOT A COUP, BUT A LIGHT MILITARY ACTION.
THERE
IS NO SUCH THING AS A LIGHT COUP, YOU EITHER WIN OR YOU ALL
GET EXECUTED.
SO NOW SOME PORTION OF THE TURKISH MILITARY
IS EITHER GOING TO WIN OR BE
EXECUTED, AND THE PRESIDENT IS EITHER GOING TO WIN OR WALK OUT
PRESUMABLY IN HANDCUFFS.
THIS IS WINNER TAKE ALL.
PEOPLE ARE IN THE STREETS, TANKS ARE IN THE STREETS.
THIS IS A MESS.
>> AS YOU SAY, IT IS AN INTERESTING COUP, A VERY
MODERATE COUP.
THEY TRIED TO TAKE OVER THE MEDIA, THE TOOK
OVER STATE TELEVISION, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, YOUTUBE WERE SHUT DOWN
ALMOST INSTANTLY.
BUT BECAUSE OF VPNS THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF
INFORMATION THAT WAS COMING OUT
OF THE COUNTRY.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE MANY JOURNALISTS BEING EJECTED
FROM THE COUNTRY, NOT BY THE
MILITARY, BUT PRIOR BY THE GOVERNMENT.
IT IS A VERY
COMPLICATED SITUATION.
SOME OF WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT CONTROLLING
KEY AREAS, THOSE ARE OUR INITIAL CLUES THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING
ON.
SEVERAL BRIDGES HAVE BEEN BLOCKED OFF BY TANKS.
EVENTUALLY
ONE AIRPORT WAS SHUT DOWN, NOW ALL AIRPORTS ARE SHUT DOWN.
AS
YOU SAID THIS IS NOT A UNIFIED MILITARY EFFORT, IT IS ACTUALLY
FAR MORE DANGEROUS.
YOU HAVE NOT ONLY THE INSTANCE WHERE THE
RENEGADE HELICOPTERS FIRED UPON THE POLICE STATION KILLING 17
PEOPLE.
WE THEN HAD A JET AFFILIATED WITH THE MILITARY
FORCES LOYAL TO THE PRESIDENT SHOOTING DOWN ONE OF THOSE
HELICOPTERS.
WE NOW HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR TANK BATTLES, AND
ARMED FORCES ON BOTH SIDES
FIGHTING.
>> WHEN YOU GET THE MILITARY FIRING ON POLICE IN THE CAPITAL,
THAT IS A CIVIL WAR.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT BEGIN A CIVIL WAR.
>> IF YOU ARE A BELIEVER IN SECULAR DEMOCRACY, THERE IS A
REASON TO ROOT FOR THIS COUP.
I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF TRICKS
INSIDE THE COUNTRY THAT ARE HOPING THAT THIS GETS DONE, IF
IT DOES NOT THEN THE PRESIDENT REGAINS POWER AND HE WILL BE AN
IMMOVABLE OBJECT.
HE WILL BE
GUARDED, HE WILL PASS EVERY DRACONIAN LAW AND THE
FUNDAMENTALISTS WILL HAVE A MUCH
TIGHTER REIN ON POWER.
IF YOU ARE IN THAT SECULAR GROUP AND
WANT THE COUP TO SUCCEED, IT WAS GOOD NEWS IN THE BEGINNING AND
NOT GOOD NEWS NOW.
YOU WANTED IT TO HAPPEN QUICKLY AND BE OVER,
BUT IT IS NOT OVER.
ONE OF THE LEADING GENERALS SAID THAT I AM
NOT PART OF THIS AND HE DID NOT
TAKE SIDES.
THE NAVY SAID WE ARE NOT PART OF THIS.
THAT DOESN'T
MEAN THE NAVY ATTACKED THE COUP.
YOU CAN SEE HOW THIS CAN GET
INTO AN UNBELIEVABLE MESS.
COPS VERSUS MILITARY, PARTS OF THE
MILITARY VERSUS OTHER PARTS OF
THE MILITARY.
>> THE US WAS VERY SLOW TO TALK ABOUT THIS.
BUT NOW ñ
WE HAVE A BASE IN TURKEY THAT HOUSES NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF WE REALLY DO CHOOSE SIDES.
>> THE PRESIDENT AND JOHN KERRY ñ THE
SECRETARY UNDERSCORED THAT THE
STATE
DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE SAFETY AND SECURITY
OF US CITIZENS IN TURKEY.
THERE IS SOME QUESTION AS A NATO
MEMBER, WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO
DO WHEN THERE IS A COUP ATTEMPT?
IT IS A COMPLICATED SITUATION AND
I'M PRETTY SURE THE US WANTS TO
SIDE WITH THE WINNER.
>>THE US ROLE IN THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY UNCLEAR.
NORMAL OPERATING PROCEDURE IS IF AN ALLY LIKE TURKEY IS GOING
TO PULL OFF A COUP AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT, THEY WOULD
CERTAINLY CONSULT WITH THE UNITED STATES.
>> IT APPEARS THEY DIDN'T.
THIS IS TOO EARLY.
>> WHAT IS NOT EVIDENT IS SECRETARY KERRY OR PRES.
OBAMA'S WORDS.
THEY WOULD SAY THEY ARE BACKING THE GOVERNMENT NO MATTER WHAT
THEY DO.
>> THIS IS FROM REUTERS, A SENIOR EU SOURCE MONITORING THE
SITUATION SAID, "IT LOOKS LIKE A WELL ORCHESTRATED COUP BY A
SIGNIFICANT BODY IN THE MILITARY NOT JUST A FEW COLONELS.
THEY
HAVE CONTROL OF THE AIRPORTS AND ARE EXPECTING CONTROL OVER THE
TV STATIONS.
THEY CONTROL SEVERAL STRATEGIC POINTS IN
ISTANBUL.
GIVEN THE SCALE IT IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THAT THEY
WILL STOP SHORT OF PREVAILING THOUGHT IS NOT JUST A FEW
COLONELS.
THIS IS CLEARLY NOT
SOME LITTLE COUP, THE TURKISH
AMBASSADOR WAS CLEARLY SHOCKED AND IS TAKING VERY SERIOUSLY.
HOWEVER IT LOOKS IN THE MORNING THEY WILL HAVE MASSIVE
IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKEY.
THIS HAS NOT COME OUT OF NOWHERE."
MEANING IT WAS PLANNED.
WE STILL DON'T KNOW.
THE SUGGESTION ñ IT DOESN'T SUGGEST THAT THE US DIDN'T
KNOW, BUT IT SUGGESTS THAT IT SURPRISED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
WHO MIGHT HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF IT.
>> I WOULD CONSIDER IT SHOCKING IF THE US DIDN'T KNOW.
ONE OF
THE TOP GENERALS HAS BEEN TAKEN
BY THE LEADERS OF THE COUP, SO THERE IS DEFINITELY A RIFT
WITHIN THE TURKISH MILITARY.
>> IT'S SHOCKING AND SURPRISING BECAUSE TURKEY HASN'T HAD A
MILITARY COUP SINCE 1980, BUT IF YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT IT IS
NOT THAT SHOCKING WHEN YOU
CONSIDER THAT TURKEY AMONG ALL PREDOMINANTLY MUSLIM COUNTRIES
HAS BEEN VERY VOCAL ABOUT
REMAINING SECULAR.
EVEN THOUGH THE COUNTRY IS DIVIDED AMONGST
THOSE WHO SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT, OR MIGHT AGREE WITH THE MILITARY
COUP, THERE IS THIS NEED AND WANT TO BE SECULAR.
ONE THING
THAT STOOD OUT TO ME WAS HOW THE FIRST THING THE PRESIDENT WANTED
TO DO WAS ASKED HIS SUPPORTERS TO GO OUT IN THE STREETS.
HE HAS
BEEN SO HORRIFIC TOWARD
JOURNALISTS AND PROTESTERS.
AS SOON AS HE NEEDS PROTESTERS FOR
HIS OWN AGENDA AND PURPOSES, HE TELLS THEM TO GO OUT ON THE
STREETS AND RISK THEIR OWN LIVES.
>> IT'S INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS FOR THEM TO GO OUT THERE.
TO WHAT
YOU ARE SAYING ABOUT WHETHER THE U.S. MIGHT KNOW OR NOT, THE
STATEMENT THAT WAS PUT OUT BY THE COUP FORCES I THINK IS
INTERESTING.
IT EXPLAINS THEIR REASSURANCE TO THE US.
" TURKISH
ARMED FORCES OF ñ HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, THE RULE OF LAW ON
THE GENERAL SECURITY THAT HAS DAMAGED ALL INTERNATIONAL
AGREEMENTS ARE STILL VALID.
WE HOPE ALL OUR GOOD RELATIONSHIPS
WITH ALL COUNTRIES WILL
CONTINUE."
>> THERE IS NO QUESTION WHAT THEY WANT, THEY WANT TO BE IN
CHARGE OF TURKEY AND GET RID OF
THE PRESIDENT AND CONTINUE THE ROLE THAT TURKEY HAD PRIOR TO
THE PRESIDENT.
TO CENK'S POINT WE ARE NOT GOING TO KNOW IN THE
COMING DAYS, BECAUSE IF WE KNEW IT WASN'T BECAUSE THESE GUYS
CALLED JOHN KERRY.
THERE IS NO QUESTION WHAT SIDE WE HAVE TO BE
ON, AND WE HAVE NO BIGGER ALLY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ISIS THAN
TURKEY.
INCREDIBLY VALUABLE.
THE NOTION THAT WE WOULD OFFICIALLY
RISK ñ THAT IS THE
WORST POSSIBLE OUTCOME IS A STRENGTHENED AND AN EMPOWERED
PRESIDENT.
THE FLIPSIDE IS TO CENK'S POINT, THE NOTION THAT
THE CIA DIDN'T KNOW OF THIS ñ IT
WOULD BE A FASCINATING
INTRIGUING STORY WHEN REVEALED.
>> LET ME CLARIFY THE PRESIDENT REFERENCED THE CIA BUT IN A
VEILED WAY.
YOU KNOW HE IS NOT IN CHARGE, HE CLAIMS HE IS.
IF
YOU REMEMBER ONE OF THE TACTICS THAT THE PRESIDENT WILL USE
AGAINST PROTESTERS IS FIREWATER.
THEY WOULD PUT PEPPER SPRAY IN
THE WATER HOSES AND SPRAY THAT ON EVERYONE SO THEY WOULD GET
PEPPER SPRAY ALL OVER THEM, SO HE NORMALLY HATES PROTESTERS IN
THE STREETS.
NOW HE IS BEGGING FOR PROTESTERS IN THE STREETS
WHICH MEANS HE IS NOT IN CHARGE.
HE HAS LOST THE MEDIA ENTIRELY
AND HE HAD GREAT CONTROL OVER
THE MEDIA.
YOU CAN TELL HE IS NOT IN CHARGE OF THE MEDIA
BECAUSE HE HAD TO USE A CELL PHONE AND FACE TIME TO MESSAGE
THE TURKISH PEOPLE.
NO WAY THE PRESIDENT IS FACE TIMING IF HE
WAS ACTUALLY IN CHARGE.
IF YOU ARE IN FAVOR OF PEACEFUL
RESOLUTION, YOU WANT THIS TO END EITHER WAY IMMEDIATELY.
THE
WORST-CASE SCENARIO IS NEITHER SIDE WINS AND THEN WE'VE GOT
TANKS ALL OVER THE STREETS, ONE REPORT HAS AN F-16, TURKISH
MILITARY, SHOOTING DOWN A TURKISH MILITARY HELICOPTER.
TURKEY IS HEAVILY ARMED.
IT IS
THE SECOND LARGEST ARMED NATION IN NATO.
LET ME GIVE YOU WHAT I
KNOW ABOUT THE AMERICAN
INVOLVEMENT.
THERE IS ANOTHER MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALIST WHO LIVES
INSIDE AMERICA.
HE WAS DEEP ALLIES WITH ERDOGAN, THE
PRESIDENT, HAS BEEN IN POWER
SINCE 2003.
THEY ARE BOTH FUNDAMENTALIST MUSLIMS.
THAT IS
NOT FUNDAMENTALIST MUSLIMS AS YOU WOULD HAVE IN OTHER PLACES
OF THE MIDDLE EAST.
AS WE HAVE THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT HERE IN
AMERICA, THEY ARE BASICALLY THE
MUSLIM RIGHT.
THEY ARE REPUBLICANS, RIGHT WING IN THAT
SENSE.
>>HE IS THE MIKE PENCE OF TURKEY.
>>YES, HE IS NOT A RELIGIOUS LEADER.
ERDOGAN IS NOT A
RELIGIOUS LEADER, BUT HE IS MORE OF A MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALIST
WITHIN THE DEMOCRACY OF TURKEY.
PEOPLE ARE UNSURE IF HE TAINTED
THAT DEMOCRACY IN THOSE
ELECTIONS.
THE GUY IN PENNSYLVANIA IS A RELIGIOUS
LEADER AND USED TO WORK WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
AND THEY THINK HE HAS AN ALLIANCE WITH THE CIA.
HE HAS
A COMPOUND IN PENNSYLVANIA,
CHARTER SCHOOLS ALL OVER AMERICA.
WE DON'T OFTEN GIVE
FUNDAMENTALIST MUSLIMS CHARTER SCHOOLS TO TEACH OUR KIDS IN
AMERICA UNLESS YOU'VE GOT SOME SORT OF OKAY FROM THE US
GOVERNMENT.
WHEN THOSE TWO GUYS THEN BROKE APART AND BEGAN AN
INTERNAL STRUGGLE FOR POWER IN TURKEY, A LOT OF THE POLICE USED
TO BE ON ONE SIDE, THEN THE PRESIDENT CAME IN WITH A POWER
PLAY.
IT IS AN AMAZING POWER PLAY GOING ON.
AT THAT BREAK, IT
APPEARS THAT THE AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT THOUGHT THE PRESIDENT IS OFF THE RESERVATION.
THERE
ARE THINGS THAT HAPPEN BEHIND THE SCENES.
IT APPEARED THAT
BEHIND THE SCENES THE U.S. WAS ON THE GUY IN PENNSYLVANIA'S
SIDE.
SO NOW HE PUT OUT A STATEMENT
SAYING IT WASN'T ME.
IT WOULD BE ENORMOUSLY SURPRISING IF A
MILITARY, OBVIOUSLY VERY WELL ORGANIZED, OBVIOUSLY NOT AS
WELL-ORGANIZED AS THEY WANT TO
BE.
THAT KIND OF MILITARY COUP DIDN'T ASK THE CIA, OR THE GUY
IN PENNSYLVANIA, OR THE AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT.
BEN IS RIGHT, THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT WOULD NEVER
SAY IN PUBLIC.
THIS HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKEY, FOR THE
MIDDLE EAST, AND FOR THE WHOLE
WORLD.
IF I HAD TO GUESS, AND I AM GUESSING BECAUSE I DON'T
KNOW.
I AM TELLING YOU WHAT
WOULD NORMALLY HAPPEN, IF I HAD
TO GUESS I WOULD SAY THAT WE WERE ON THE SIDE OF THE COUP,
THE U.S. IS.
BUT IF IT DOES NOT
WORK, IT IS CERTAINLY THE PRESIDENT WILL THINK THAT WE
ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE COUP AND WE WILL HAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE.
>> WHAT WE ARE HEARING IS THAT
OBAMA HAD A MEETING WITH HIS
NATIONAL SECURITY STAFF.
THEN THEY CAME OUT WITH THAT
STATEMENT.
MEANING WHAT THEY HEARD.
>>ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE AT THIS POINT, AND
IT IS A COUP.
THERE
ARE THREE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT
THIS CAN GO.
THE COUP CONTINUES, THEY MANAGED TO WRANGLE ENOUGH
OF THE REST OF THE MILITARY AND
THE POLICE AND KEEP THE PEOPLE IN THE STREETS AT BAY, AND THEY
SEIZE POWER.
IT HAPPENS RELATIVELY QUICKLY.
BY THE
MORNING, BY THE NEXT DAY IT IS
OVER.
A SECOND POSSIBILITY IS THE COUP DETERIORATES AND NOW
THERE ARE SOME REPORTS THAT IT
IS.
AND THE OTHER PARTS OF THE MILITARY STEP IN ALONG WITH THE
POLICE AND CRUSH THEM.
THE THIRD POSSIBILITY IS NEITHER SIDE
WINS.
THAT IS PROBABLY THE WORST CASE SCENARIO.
LOOK, I AM DEEPLY
SECULAR SO MY PROCLIVITIES ARE OBVIOUS.
BUT IF THE TURKISH
MILITARY AND POLICE START FIGHTING ONE ANOTHER, AND IT
DOES NOT END, IF YOU THOUGHT THE MIDDLE EAST AND THAT REGION WAS
UNSTABLE BEFORE, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET.