After Failed Turkey Coup, Govt Carries Out Mass Arrests and Purges

FEATURING RAHUL MAHAJAN – The world watched with bated breath over the weekend as a military coup unfolded in Turkey against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, only to see that coup attempt fail. Mr. Erdogan, who has faced mass public opposition for his policies, took to the airwaves to call on the Turkish people to show up in the streets to oppose the coup. Hours later it was all over and Erdogan declared the coup over.

Now, moving swiftly, his government has begun a massive crackdown on people suspected to be involved in the coup attempt. According to the New York Times, “The Interior Ministry fired nearly 9,000 police officers,” following “the arrests of 6,000 military personnel and 103 generals and admirals, and the suspensions of nearly 3,000 judges over the weekend.”

The coup attempt comes just weeks after a major attack on Istanbul’s international airport linked to the Islamic State that left more than 40 people dead.

Rahul Mahajan is a PhD student in sociology at the University of Wisconsin and a news analyst. He is the author of two books on the Iraq war: Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond and The New Crusade: America’s War on Terrorism. He is also the US Foreign Policy and Empire Correspondent for Rising Up.