LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

July 17/16

 Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today

Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12/22-32:"Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.’He knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."

No one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.
First Letter to the Corinthians 12/01-11:"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses."
 ’
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 16-17/16

French Lesson: Guns not Critical To Jihadi Violence/A.J. Caschetta/The Daily Caller/July 16/16
Saudi Arabia's Faisal: Iran is breeding chaos through Hamas/Mohammed Othman/Al-Monitor/July 16/16
Why some Iraqi Shiites are pushing for distance from Iran/Ali Mamouri/Al-Monitor/July 16/16
France: The Coming Civil War/Yves Mamou/Gatestone Institute/July 16/16
Why terror at Black Lives Matter event shouldn’t smear the movement/Brooklyn Middleton/Al Arabiya/July 16/16
Why was France attacked again and singled out by ISIS/Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/July 16/16
Turkey’s failed coup: What are the regional implications/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/July 16/16
Erdogan’s victory: More than meets the eye/Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/July 16/16
 

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on July 16-17/16

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq Urges Continued Cooperation with France after Nice Attack
Army Arrests Several over Celebratory Gunfire in Jabal Mohsen
Report: Progress in Oil Exploration File Slowing Down
Makari: Staging Presidential Polls Ahead of Parliamentary Solves Many Hurdles
Bassil followsup on situation of Lebanese stranded in Turkish airports, holds series of contacts ensuring their safe return
Salam: We welcome stability for sake of Turkey's Constitutional legitimacy
Army shells gunmen in Arsal outskirts
MEA resumes flights to Ataturk starting tomorrow
 

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 16-17/16
Canada's FM Statement on evolving situation in Turkey
Did Erdogan STAGE the coup? US-based Turkish cleric facing extradition over botched rebellion claims president orchestrated plot to justify a clampdown on civil rights
Turkish government survives coup
Turkish military helicopter lands in Greece, eight request asylum
Erdogan Asserts Control as Turkey Coup Bid Falters
Erdogan: The Deeply Divisive Rule of Turkey's 'Sultan'
Gulf Ally Qatar Congratulates Erdogan on Foiling Coup Bid
Fethullah Gulen, the Arch-Enemy of Turkey's President
Air Raids Kill 18 Civilians in Syria's Aleppo
U.S. Reveals Suspicions of Saudi Ties to 9/11

Links From Jihad Watch Site for July 16-17/16

Latest Lebanese Related News published on July 16-17/16

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq Urges Continued Cooperation with France after Nice Attack
Naharnet/July 16/16/ Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq sent a letter to his French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve and expressed his deep sorrow over the latest terrorist attack that hit the city of Nice Thursday, the state-run National News Agency said on Saturday. “We were deeply shocked at the attack that targeted France on its national day. We have to work together to confront this barbaric terrorism and we must defend the values we share,” said Mashnouq in his letter. He stressed the necessity to “continue the close cooperation between the security services of both countries because we face the same terrorism, and the need for the exchange of information.”Eighty-four people were killed after a truck ploughed through a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city of Nice on Thursday.The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the truck attack on France's national holiday, the jihadist organization said Saturday in its official radio bulletin.

Army Arrests Several over Celebratory Gunfire in Jabal Mohsen
The Lebanese army staged raids in Tripoli’s neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen over celebratory gunfire after an attempted coup in Turkey, the Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported Saturday. The army arrested several individuals who opened fire into the air in celebration after media reports said that the Turkish military had assumed power over Turkey. A Turkish army faction backed by tanks and fighter jets launched a coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that appeared to be faltering on Saturday.Turkey's acting army chief, General Umit Dundar, said late Saturday morning that the coup attempt had been foiled. Alawite residents of Jabal Mohsen have been in conflict with the Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood since the Lebanese Civil War and have often engaged in violence. They are divided along sectarian lines, as well as by their opposition or support of the Alawite-led Syrian government. Violence flared up during the Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon, but a security plan that was put into effect in 2014 was able to restore calm.Syrian President Bashar Assad accused Erdogan of supporting jihadists fighting in Syria and of facilitating their movement across the Turkish border into Syria.

Report: Progress in Oil Exploration File Slowing Down
/Naharnet/July 16/16/Even though anticipations were high that the file of Lebanon’s oil and gas wealth might witness a push-start following the Eid al-Fitr holiday, reports said that the progress seems to be staggering, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday. Prime Minister Tammam Salam wants to make some contacts before he convenes the ministerial committee tasked with studying the file and later put the issue on the cabinet’s agenda in order to pass the needed decrees, said the daily. Energy Minister Arthur Nazarian told al-Joumhouria that “the issue is in the Prime Minister’s hands.”Early in July, reports said that executive decrees for offshore oil and gas exploration were to be issued before the month’s end so that a call for tenders can be organized. In addition to these decrees, the parliament must issue a law specifying the taxes that will be slapped on the bidding oil firms or else no global company would submit a tender, which would raise the problem of holding a legislative session for parliament. The oil file was activated after Free Patriotic Movement and the AMAL Movement officials met in Ain al-Tineh and announced that they have settled their disputes over the excavation of Lebanon’s offshore oil and gas reserves. The disagreement between the two parties has hindered agreements on energy extraction for years. On whether Salam was disappointed that he was not briefed on the agreement between the FPM and AMAL, Nazarian said: “Salam has the executive decrees now and they are at the cabinet’s general secretariat and there is no need for meetings and contacts, but I will try to talk to him in the following two days.”

Makari: Staging Presidential Polls Ahead of Parliamentary Solves Many Hurdles
Naharnet/July 16/16/Deputy Speaker Farid Makari stated that staging the presidential elections before the parliamentary polls will automatically solve many pending issues in the country, As Safir daily reported on Saturday. “Staging the presidential elections will inevitably lead to a set of solutions for many current crises. But many complications will arise if we stage the parliamentary polls in the absence of a president,” Makari told the daily in an interview. “However, it is possible that we hold the parliamentary elections first if we reach the new year without being able to elect a president,” he added. Makari lamented the futile 42 parliament sessions that have failed so far to elect a head of state, and saw it unnecessary to call for meetings knowing that no results will be reached. The parliament convened on Wednesday and failed to elect a president over lack of quorum. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Conflicts between the rival political camps of March 8 and March 14 have thwarted all attempts aiming at electing a successor.The Deputy Speaker pointed out that the rival parties are unable to reach an agreement on a new electoral law, he said: “Parties demanding a majority system are unable to convince the other party of a proportional one and vice versa. Adopting a hybrid law is the solution.”'

Bassil followsup on situation of Lebanese stranded in Turkish airports, holds series of contacts ensuring their safe return
Sat 16 Jul 2016/NNA - Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Gebran Bassil, followed-up Saturday on the situation of Lebanese citizens stranded in Turkish airports, particularly at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, in wake of the security developments in Turkey since yesterday evening, whereby he held a series of urgent contacts to ensure their safe return to Lebanon. In this context, Bassil gave instructions to the Lebanese Embassy in Ankara and the General Consulate of Lebanon in Istanbul to adopt all necessary measures to aid the Lebanese who are currently in Turkey in any way possible.
Moreover, Lebanese General Consul in Istanbul, Hani Shmeitily, headed personally to Istanbul Airport once security restrictions on citizens' movements were lifted by Turkish security forces, whereby he met with Lebanese citizens stranded at the Airport and attended to their necessary needs. It is to note that air traffic has been gradually returning to normal, with talk of planned trips in the next few hours to Beirut via Middle East Airlines and the Turkish Airline Company. Bassil discussed with MEA Board Chairman, Mohamad el-Hout, ways of facilitating the return of all Lebanese wishing to fly back to Beirut from Istanbul Airport at the nearest possible.

Salam: We welcome stability for sake of Turkey's Constitutional legitimacy
Sat 16 Jul 2016/NNA - Prime Minister Tammam Salam issued a statement on Saturday, after following up on the unraveling events in Turkey, declaring that as a matter of principle he is against armed takeover of power in any country, and is constantly respectful of democratic political work that yields legitimately elected bodies. "In respect of the Turkish people's overwhelming desire...we announce our welcoming of stability in the Turkish Republic in favor of Constitutional legitimacy, represented by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the government and state institutions. We hope that our friend Turkey can turn the page quickly on these painful events and regain its stability and security and come back as a key player in its region and the world."

Army shells gunmen in Arsal outskirts
Sat 16 Jul 2016/NNA - Lebanese Army soldiers renewed their bombardment of "Nusra Front" militants in the outskirts of eastern Arsal, Wadi Kheil and Khirbet Younine, using heavy artillery and rocket weapons, destroying a number of military vehicles and inflicting casualties among gunmen, NNA correspondent in Baalbek reported.

MEA resumes flights to Ataturk starting tomorrow
Sat 16 Jul 2016/NNA - The Public Relations Department in the Middle East Airlines (MEA) announced on Saturday that flights will be resumed to and from Turkey's Ataturk Airport in Istanbul beginning tomorrow (Sunday, July 17), noting that the company operates two flights per day to said airport.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 16-17/16

Canada's FM Statement on evolving situation in Turkey
July 16, 2016 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
Canada's FM, The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement regarding recent events in Turkey:
“I spoke to my Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, earlier and commended the people of Turkey for defending their democracy and civilian rule.
“We are relieved that democracy has been preserved and that the democratically elected government remains in power. We are also encouraged by the gradual return to stability today.
“We stand with Turkey, a strong partner and NATO ally, as it recovers from these unsettling events. We are confident that the government and the people of Turkey will persevere against these challenges in an orderly and peaceful manner.
“We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed during the events of last night and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.
“Canada condemns any effort to overthrow a democratically elected government by force of arms. We urge the government of Turkey to call for restraint and to oppose all acts of violence.
“We also urge calm and for peace to be returned to the streets and to the people of Turkey. It is also a time for reflection. We urge all parties to continue to uphold and reinforce our shared democratic principles, including respect for democratic institutions, human rights and the rule of law. Going forward, Canada calls on all parties in Turkey to refrain from further violence and derogation from the rule of law. Fundamental human rights such as due process must be allowed to prevail against those who have attempted ‎to subvert Turkish democracy through force of arms.
“Immediately upon hearing of developments last night, Global Affairs Canada sent out instructions to remain indoors to all Canadian citizens in Turkey registered with the Government of Canada’s Registration of Canadians Abroad service and issued an advisory urging Canadians to avoid all travel to Turkey. At the same time, Global Affairs Canada staff did their utmost to reach out to other Canadian citizens who were not registered.
“We were in contact with our ambassador in Ankara and consul general in Istanbul throughout the night from Friday to Saturday. Since the events began to unfold, we have received more than 600 enquiries from Canadians either in Turkey or with family in Turkey, and have provided them with instructions and reassurance.
“As the situation in Turkey continues to be fluid, and despite reports that the security situation is improving, Canadians in Turkey should shelter in place, limit their movements and avoid crowds and public gatherings.”
Emergency consular assistance
Canadian citizens in Turkey requiring emergency consular assistance should contact one of the following:
the Canadian embassy in Ankara, by phone at 90 (312) 409-2700. The embassy is currently closed, but calls will be re-directed to Ottawa, where there is support 24/7 and liaison with consular support in Turkey;
the Canadian consulate in Istanbul, by phone at 90 (212) 385-9700. The consulate is currently closed, but calls will be re-directed to Ottawa, where there is support 24/7 and liaison with consular support in Turkey;
Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre, by calling toll-free from within Turkey at 00800-14-220-0149 (please note this number does not work for all mobile phones);
the Emergency Watch and Response Centre, at +1-613-996-8885 (collect calls accepted where available);
Global Affairs Canada, by email at sos@international.gc.ca.
Canadian citizens needing consular assistance may also contact Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre online by completing the emergency contact form.
Friends and relatives in Canada of Canadian citizens known to be in Turkey should contact Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre by calling +1 613 996 8885 or +1 800 387 3124, or by sending an email to sos@international.gc.ca.
Contacts
Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada superb
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter: @CanadaFP and @TravelGoC
Follow Minister Dion on Twitter: @MinCanadaFA
Like us on Facebook: Canada’s foreign policy - Global Affairs Canada and Travel.gc.ca - Travel advice from the Government of Canada

Did Erdogan STAGE the coup? US-based Turkish cleric facing extradition over botched rebellion claims president orchestrated plot to justify a clampdown on civil rights
Exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen accused Recep Erdogan of staging the coup
The Pennsylvania-based preacher has condemned the attempted rebellion
Erdogan told supporters he is considering reintroducing the death penalty
He claimed Gulen was behind a ‘parallel structure’ to overthrow the state
By Darren Boyle for MailOnline/ 16 July 2016
A US-based Turkish cleric accused of plotting a coup to overthrow the Ankara government has claimed President Recep Erdogan staged the rebellion himself to justify a major clampdown on opposition forces.
Fethullah Gulen, who was a former key ally of Erdogan has been blamed by the politician of using his contacts to develop a ‘parallel structure’ to overthrow the state.
Erdogan has called on US President Barack Obama to extradite Gulen, who is based in Pennsylvania.
US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, pictured, accused his former ally Recep Erdogan of staging the coup to generate sympathy and provide a pretext to order a clampdown on civil rights and democracy in Turkey
Addressing a rally in Istanbul today, Recep Erdogan, pictured, accused Gulen of organising last night’s plot
Protesters in Taksim Square in Istanbul demanded the reintroduction of the death penalty for the plotters
Protesters in Taksim Square in Istanbul demanded the reintroduction of the death penalty for the plotters
In response to the attempted rebellion, Turkish authorities have detained 2,745 judges and prosecutors whose loyalty to the regime has been questioned.
Also, some 2,839 soldiers – including the head of the Third Army Corps in Istanbul, General Erdal Ozturk – have been arrested.
PM Binali Yildrim described the plot, which claimed the lives of 161 civilians with 1,440 wounded, as a ‘black stain on Turkish democracy’.
Speaking from his home, Gulen claimed democracy in Turkey could not be achieved through military action.
He condemned the plot, although authorities in Ankara are not convinced.
He said: ‘There is a slight chance, there is a possibility that it could be a staged coup. It could be meant for court accusations and associations.’
He added: ‘It appears that they have no tolerance for any movement, any group, any
Facing the death penalty: General who led Turkish coup in… Defiant Turks prepare for a fresh uprising after 250 are…
President Erdogan told a crowd chanting for the death penalty on Saturday that such demands may be discussed in parliament after a coup attempt by a faction in the military killed at least 161 people.
Looking relaxed and smiling, giving an occasional thumbs up to his supporters in Istanbul, Erdogan said the coup attempt had been carried out by a minority in the army.
He said: ‘The army is ours, not that of the parallel structure. I am chief commander.’
Earlier Erdogan urged the US to extradite Gulen claiming Turkey never turned down an extradition request from Washington for ‘terrorists’.
Secretary of State John Kerry, pictured today in Luxembourg, said he would entertain an extradition request
Secretary of State John Kerry, pictured today in Luxembourg, said he would entertain an extradition request
He said: ‘I say if we are strategic partners then you should bring about our request.’
Secretary of State John Kerry said: ‘We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr. Gulen. And obviously we would invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny. And the United States will accept that and look at it and make judgments about it appropriately.’
A Turkish government official said the government ‘has been preparing a formal application with detailed information about Gulen’s involvement in illegal activities. After last night, we have one more thing to add to an already extensive list’.
Gulen is understood to maintain significant support among some members of the military and mid-level bureaucrats. His movement called Hizmet includes think tanks, schools and various media enterprises. Gulen and Erdogan only became estranged in recent years.
In a statement, Gulen said he condemned, ‘in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey.’
He said: ‘Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force,” he said. “I pray to God for Turkey, for Turkish citizens, and for all those currently in Turkey that this situation is resolved peacefully and quickly.’
Gulen sharply rejected any responsibility: ‘As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations.’
 

Turkish government survives coup
By Staff Writer, Al Arabiya English Friday, 15 July 2016
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Saturday 161 people were killed in the coup attempt against the government, with 2,839 soldiers now detained on suspicion of involvement. Yildirim, speaking outside his Cankaya palace in Ankara and flanked by top general Hulusi Akar who was held during the coup attempt, also described the putsch bid as a "black stain" on Turkish democracy. He added that 1,440 people had been wounded. The toll 161 did not include the assailants, he emphasized. Turkey's acting army chief Umit Dundar had earlier said 104 putschists had been killed.
Yildirim blamed the coup attempt on the supporters of US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara has for years accused of working to overthrow the authorities and wants to see brought to justice.The United States has shown little interest so far to Turkey's requests for his extradition.
"Fethullah Gulen is the leader of a terrorist organization," the premier said. "Whichever country is behind him is not a friend of Turkey and in a serious war against Turkey," he added. Close to 200 unarmed soldiers at the Turkish military headquarters surrendered after the coup attempt, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported Saturday.Earlier, around 50 soldiers surrendered on one of the bridges across the Bosphorus in Istanbul, abandoning their tanks with their hands raised in the air, live footage showed.
A witness earlier saw tens of other pro-coup soldiers surrendering to armed police after being surrounded in Istanbul's central Taksim square, Reuters news agency reported.
Around 50 soldiers surrendered on one of the bridges across the Bosphorus in Istanbul. (Al Arabiya)
A Turkish official said 29 colonels and five generals were removed from their posts in military after the coup attempt.
Friday’s attempted coup in Turkey ‘appears to have been unsuccessful’ a Turkish official was reported as saying, early Saturday morning.
The senior official told The Associated Press all government officials were in charge of their offices. Their comments came as Erdogan arrived at Istanbul airport where he was greeted by large crowds, but also amid reports of explosions near the parliament buildings in Ankara.
Erdogan spoke immediately landing at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport and said that ‘uprising was act of treason.’The coup started when members of the military blocked streets, bridges, government buildings, took over the state controlled media and shutdown social media.
But within the hours that followed Erdogan appeared on CNN Turk on the screen of a smartphone and called on the people to take to the streets. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told NTV television: “The military commanders have made it clear that the coup plotters violated the chain of command... The people have shown that they stand in solidarity with democracy and the elected government.”
Speaking to CNN Turk Erdogan had called on the nation to gather in the squares in response to the “attempted uprising”. He said it was an act encouraged by “parallel structure”. Air strikes against rebel tanks
Turkish authorities shot down a military helicopter apparently operated by soldiers trying to stage the coup as it fired on the offices of state satellite operator Turksat in the capital Ankara on Saturday, broadcaster CNN Turk said. Turkish army F-16s also launched air strikes against tanks stationed by coup backers outside the presidential palace in Ankara, an official with the presidency said. "Turkish F-16s have launched air strikes against tanks outside the presidential palace," the official said, adding that a military helicopter, which was involved in an attack against a Turkish satellite operator earlier, has been downed in the Golbasi district of Ankara. Earlier, maritime authorities shut Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait to transiting tankers "for security and safety" reasons, shipping agent GAC said.
Some cargo carriers like bulkers were still being allowed to travel through the key shipping channel which divides Istanbul into European and Asian sides, GAC said. At approximately 1 am local time, Turkish army helicopters opened fire on the intelligence headquarters in Ankara and guards returned fire, Al Arabiya reported. Witnesses were quoted as saying they heard an explosion in the capital.
Tanks opened fire around the Turkish parliament building, Reuters reported. Elsewhere in Istanbul there were reports of gun fire coming from the airport. The group affiliated with US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who was accused by Erdogan of being behind the coup attempt condemned the uprising. Gulen later strongly condemned the attempted Turkey coup in a statement. “For more than 40 years, Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet participants have advocated for, and demonstrated their commitment to, peace and democracy,” the Alliance for Shared Values said in a statement.
“We have consistently denounced military interventions in domestic politics. These are core values of Hizmet participants. We condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey.”
Their denial came after the Turkish Prime Minister insisted that the attempted coup was an act of rebellion by the Gulen movement.
The military faction attempting the coup took control of some tanks and ordered its forces to try to take over the streets. But the attempts were unsuccessful in many areas, a senior Turkish government official said.
Had the coup been successful, the overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003 (first as Prime Minister and then as President since 2014) would have amounted to one of the biggest shifts in power in the Middle East in years.
Responding to claims early during the coup attempt Turkey’s prime minister said the attempted coup would be put down. Yildirim said the elected government would remain in office.
“Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command,” Yildirim said in comments broadcast by private channel NTV.
“The government elected by the people remains in charge. This government will only go when the people say so.”

Blocking off bridges
Dogan News Agency footage showed cars and buses being diverted. CNN Turkey showed two military vehicles and a group of soldiers lined up at the entrance of one of the bridges in Turkey’s biggest city.
A Turkish official who did not want to be named said soldiers had been deployed in other cities in Turkey, but did not specify which ones. Dogan News Agency reported the national police directorate summoned all police to duty in Ankara.
Turkey’s minister for EU Affairs, Omer Celik, called on soldiers to disobey orders after the military announced on Friday that it was seizing control of the government in a coup.
Meanwhile Reuters cited a pilot who said all flights from Istanbul’s Ataturk airport had been cancelled after the events in Turkey.
As the events developed countries around the world issued advisories to their citizens in Turkey to stay indoors.
"A message was sent saying that serious events were taking place in Ankara and Istanbul," said a French diplomatic source. "French citizens have been asked to stay inside." Similar statements were made but other countries.
Global reactions
Global leaders from United States President Barack Obama to German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted during the coup attempt, both siding with Erdogan and the elected government of Turkey. Others like United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calling for clam and return to civilian rule.
After serving as prime minister from 2003, Erdogan was elected president in 2014 with plans to alter the constitution to give the previously ceremonial presidency far greater executive powers.
His AK Party, with roots in Islamism, has long had a strained relationship with the military and nationalists in a state that was founded on secularist principles after World War One, and which has a history of military coups.(With Reuters, AFP and AP)

Turkish military helicopter lands in Greece, eight request asylum
AFP, Alexandroupoli, Greece Saturday, 16 July 2016
A Turkish military helicopter has landed in Greece carrying eight men seeking asylum, the Greek police said Saturday.
The Black Hawk helicopter landed after sending a distress signal to authorities at the airport in Alexandroupolis in the country’s north. Seven of those on board were in military uniform and all are believed to have been involved in the coup bid, ERT TV said.
 

Erdogan Asserts Control as Turkey Coup Bid Falters
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 16/16/President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Saturday battled to regain control over Turkey after a coup bid by discontented soldiers, as signs grew that the most serious challenge to his 13 years of dominant rule was starting to falter. After hours of chaos unseen in decades, Erdogan ended uncertainty over his whereabouts, flying into Istanbul airport in the early hours where he made a defiant speech and was greeted by hundreds of supporters. Soldiers and tanks took to the streets late on Friday and multiple explosions rang out throughout the night in Ankara and Istanbul, the two biggest cities of the strategic NATO member of 80 million people. With officials insisting the takeover bid was falling apart, officials said 60 people, mainly civilians, have been killed and 754 soldiers detained. Erdogan predicted the putsch would fail and crowds of supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came out onto the streets to try to block it. The strongman denounced the coup attempt as "treachery", saying he was carrying out his functions and would keep on working "to the end". "What is being perpetrated is a treason and a rebellion. They will pay a heavy price for this act of treason," Erdogan said at the airport. "We will not leave our country to occupiers." Dozens of soldiers backing the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul they had held throughout the night, holding their hands above their heads as they were detained, television pictures showed. There was chaos in Istanbul as angry crowds took to the streets to boo the passing tanks, with smaller numbers welcoming the troops. As a helicopter flew over the famed Taksim Square, scene of massive anti-Erdogan protests three years ago, the crowd began to boo, shaking their fists at the night sky before they were shot at by the soldiers. "The people are afraid of a military government," a 38-year-old man who gave his name as Dogan told AFP. "Most of them have been in military service, they know what a military government would mean."- Parliament bombed -The sound of F16 fighter jets flying over the capital Ankara signalled the start of the putsch late Friday, with troops also moving to block the two bridges across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul.
As protesters took to the streets, an AFP photographer saw troops open fire on people gathered near one of the bridges, leaving tens wounded. Soldiers also opened shot at protesters angrily denouncing the coup bid at Istanbul's Taksim Square, injuring several.
Turkish army F-16s launched air strikes against tanks stationed by coup backers outside the presidential palace in Ankara, while the parliament was also bombed, leaving its offices wrecked. Regular explosions could be heard from the AFP office situated near the complex. World leaders called for calm, with US President Barack Obama and other Western countries urging support for the government which they said had been democratically elected. The night of drama and bloodshed brought new instability to the Middle East region, with Turkey a key powerbroker in the ongoing Syria conflict.
In a key moment in the standoff, Turkish security forces rescued the country's top army general Hulusi Akar who reports said had been taken hostage in the earlier stages of the coup bid.Istanbul authorities sought to make a show of normalisation with the bridges reopening to traffic and Ataturk International Airport -- which had been shut down by the plotters -- gradually reopening. - Coup bid 'to restore order' -After the initial dramatic military movements, state broadcaster TRT said the troops behind the putsch had declared martial law and a curfew, in a statement signed by a group calling itself the "Council for Peace in the Homeland". It said the coup had been launched "to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms and let the supremacy of the law in the country prevail, to restore order which was disrupted". No named military officer claimed responsibility for the actions although Prime Minister Binali Yildirim claimed a key pro-coup general had been killed. Turkey's once-powerful military has long considered itself the guardian of the secular state founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923. It has staged three coups since 1960 and forced out an Islamic government in 1997. Erdogan's critics have long accused him of undermining modern Turkey's secular roots and of sliding into authoritarianism -- but the president was believed to have won control of the military after purging elements who opposed him.
- Military out! -But some Turks were welcoming news of the coup attempt.
"Turks are on fire," Fethi, a 27-year-old tour guide in Taksim Square, told AFP.
"We have hope now," he added. "Turkey has been in a very polarised state for almost 15 years now... This is the manifestation of all that anger."Erdogan immediately pinned the blame on "the parallel state" and "Pennsylvania" -- a reference to Pennsylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, his arch-enemy who he has always accused of seeking to overthrow him. But the president's former ally denied any involvement in the plot, calling the accusation "insulting". "As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations," he said in a statement. There has been a flood of concerned reactions from around the globe, with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini calling for "restraint and respect for democratic institutions". Obama has been briefed, while the Kremlin said it was "deeply concerned" by the developments. "Everything must be done to protect human lives," said a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Erdogan: The Deeply Divisive Rule of Turkey's 'Sultan'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 16/16/Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appears to have survived a bloody attempt to remove him from power, is the most divisive leader in the history of the modern Turkish republic. Adored by supporters as a transformative figure who modernised Turkey, his foes paint him as an increasingly despotic "Sultan" who ruthlessly shuts down any criticism. Rising from premier to become the nation's first directly elected president in 2014, Erdogan has dreamed of boosting his hold even further by changing the constitution to give Turkey a US-style executive presidency.
But the dramatic events of Friday night have shaken his grip on power in a way few could have imagined even a day earlier. - 'Big master' -With a notoriously fiery temper, Erdogan is known to himself and followers as the "buyuk usta" -- the "big master" -- or simply "the Sultan". The 61-year-old first came to power as prime minister in 2003, bringing stability after a history of coups and rocky coalitions and dragging the Muslim-majority country out of an economic quagmire. He succeeded in clipping the wings of the military by purging elements that opposed him -- or so he claimed.
But ordinary Turks became suspicious of moves to "Islamicise" society by restricting alcohol sales, curbing the internet and even trying to ban mixed-sex dorms at state universities.Pushing for Turkey to become a top-ten economy by the republic's 100th anniversary in 2023, he launched a series of breathtakingly ambitious infrastructure projects, including a high-speed rail network and a tunnel under the Bosphorus.
But his vast new $615 million presidential palace with 1,150 rooms has been ridiculed as an absurd, tasteless extravagance -- and a symbol of his creeping authoritarianism. And his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has long been accused of seeking to impose conservative Islamic values on society -- a possible point of friction with a military that has long seen itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular state. - 'Heavy price' -Erdogan has faced a wave of deadly bombings as his government pursues twin military campaigns against Kurdish rebels in the south and the Islamic State group in neighbouring Syria.
But the attempted coup bid by disaffected soldiers -- the biggest challenge to his authoritarian 13-year rule -- came out of the blue. After a dramatic night of chaos and bloodshed, during which nearly 200 people lost their lives, Erdogan flew into Istanbul on Saturday, denouncing the coup bid as "treachery" and warning the perpetrators they would "pay a heavy price." In an ironic turn of events, the strongman who has in the past banned street protests and social media, took to Twitter urging supporters to remain on the streets to help ward off any new threats. "We should keep on owning the streets tonight no matter at what stage (the coup attempt is) because a new flare-up could take place at any moment," Erdogan said. - Critics muzzled -Erdogan's authoritarianism has seen critics muzzled, with a string of journalists as well as ordinary citizens ending up in court for insulting or slandering him. The crackdown has earned fierce international criticism for a man initially hailed in the West for creating a model Muslim democracy on Europe's eastern edge. But in recent months, the AKP government has suffered a string of diplomatic crises -- making a previous foreign policy known as "zero problems with neighbours" seem almost laughable. He faced a previous challenge to his rule in 2013 when protests over plans to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi park snowballed into mass anti-government demonstrations.
He is also known for making sometimes bizarre statements, such as declaring Muslims discovered the Americas before Columbus, that women are not equal to men and even boasting "We will wipe out Twitter". - Humble beginnings -Erdogan has now spent more than a decade at the top as the most powerful Turkish politician since founding father Ataturk, but his beginnings were humble. The son of a coastguard officer, he is deeply proud of his roots in a working-class Istanbul suburb. He has a degree in business administration and once played semi-professional football for an Istanbul club. Rising to prominence in the Islamist movement, he became mayor of Istanbul in 1994, tackling urban woes such as traffic gridlock and air pollution in the megacity of 15 million. When his religious party was outlawed, he joined demonstrations and was jailed for four months for inciting religious hatred when he recited an Islamist poem. In 2001 Erdogan, along with long-time ally Abdullah Gul and others, founded the Islamic-rooted AKP, which had won every election since 2002 until June last year when it lost its majority for the first time. The party bounced back in a second vote in November, boosting Erdogan's hopes once more to consolidate his power. "The AKP is my fifth child," says Erdogan, who has two sons and two daughters.

Gulf Ally Qatar Congratulates Erdogan on Foiling Coup Bid
Agence France PresseNaharnet/July 16/16/Wealthy Turkish ally Qatar congratulated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday on apparently foiling a deadly coup attempt by the military against his rule. In a telephone call with the Turkish leader, Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani "congratulated (Erdogan) on the support of the people of Turkey on his rule against the failed military coup," the official QNA news agency reported. Sheikh Tamim "strongly condemned this failed attempt and voiced... (Qatar's) solidarity with Turkey... in all measures it takes to protect constitutional legitimacy, enforce the rule of law and preserve its security and stability." Gas-rich Qatar is Erdogan's closest Gulf ally, sharing his sympathies for the Muslim Brotherhood that formerly ruled Egypt and is outlawed in other Gulf Arab states. The two governments signed a defence deal in 2014, providing for the establishment of a Turkish military base in Qatar and regular training deployments. The other five Gulf Arab states have made no comment on the events in Turkey, issuing only consular advice to their citizens to stay off the streets. Erdogan called on his supporters on Saturday to remain vigilant, warning of the risks of a fresh flare-up of violence after the Friday evening coup attempt. The army said the uprising claimed the lives of 88 civilians and police, as well as 104 putschists.

Fethullah Gulen, the Arch-Enemy of Turkey's President
Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based cleric accused by Ankara of orchestrating the coup attempt in Turkey, has a wide following in his native country, where he enjoys support among the police and judiciary. The reclusive Islamic preacher, who lives in a tiny town in the Pocono Mountains of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, was immediately accused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being behind the coup attempt. Gulen however denied any role, and condemned the coup attempt "in the strongest terms.""As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations," Gulen said in a statement late Friday. "I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey," read the two-paragraph statement. "Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force. "I pray to God for Turkey, for Turkish citizens, and for all those currently in Turkey that this situation is resolved peacefully and quickly," he said. Gulen, 75, was once a close ally of Erdogan but the two fell out in recent years as Erdogan became suspicious of Gulen's movement, Hizmet, and its powerful presence in Turkish society, including the media, police and judiciary. The preacher moved to the United States in 1999, before he was charged with treason in his native country. He has since led a secluded life in Pennsylvania, declining interviews and rarely making public appearances. - A 'state within a state'?-The power struggle between the two foes came to a head in late 2013 after judicial officials thought to be close to Gulen brought corruption charges that directly implicated some of Erdogan's inner circle, including his son Bilal. Erdogan launched a series of counterattacks, purging hundreds of army officers, including top generals, shutting down schools operated by Hizmet and firing hundreds of police officers. Erdogan has also gone after newspapers believed to be sympathetic to his rival, firing their editors or shutting them down.
Turkish authorities have accused the preacher of seeking to establish "a state within a state" in Turkey, but Hizmet officials insist that Gulen is committed to democratic reform and interfaith dialogue. "For more than 40 years, Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet participants have advocated for, and demonstrated their commitment to, peace and democracy," the Alliance for Shared Values said in a statement on Friday. "We have consistently denounced military interventions in domestic politics. These are core values of Hizmet participants. We condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey." The group said it did not wish to speculate on the unfolding crisis in Turkey and denounced as "highly irresponsible" comments by Erdogan's supporters concerning Gulen's involvement in the coup attempt. Hizmet - meaning service in Turkish - advocates a mix of Sufi mysticism and harmony among people based on the teachings of Islam. However it is not a religious effort: their work centers on community service, education, human rights, democracy, and "intercultural and interfaith dialogue for peaceful coexistence," according to the Alliance for Shared Values website.

Air Raids Kill 18 Civilians in Syria's Aleppo
Agence France PresseNaharnet/July 16/16/Air raids on rebel-held districts of Syria's battleground second city of Aleppo killed 18 civilians on Saturday, a monitor said. "Eleven civilians, including four children, were killed by air raids after midnight in the Bab al-Nasr area of Old Aleppo, and seven others, including a baby, were killed in Fardous neighborhood," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources across Syria for its information, warned that the toll could rise due to the number of critically wounded. An Agence France Presse correspondent at the scene said helicopters and fighter jets were still circling rebel-held neighborhoods, adding that barrel bombs -- crude, unguided explosive devices -- had been dropped on several areas. The Observatory said rebel fighters shelled government-controlled western areas of Aleppo, but had no immediate word on any casualties. Aleppo city is divided roughly between government control in the west and rebel control in the east. A ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States in February between government forces and non-jihadist rebels does not cover al-Qaida affiliate al-Nusra Front which has a strong presence in many rebel-held areas. The truce has been routinely violated, particularly in and around Aleppo. Last week, government forces advanced to within firing range of the last remaining supply route into rebel-held areas of the city, prompting food shortages and spiraling prices.

U.S. Reveals Suspicions of Saudi Ties to 9/11
Agence France PresseNaharnet/July 16/16/The United States probed links between the government of Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 attacks, finding multiple suspicions but no proven ties, documents declassified Friday showed. Part of a Congressional report that had been kept under wraps for more than a decade showed U.S. intelligence believed that Saudi officials may have had multiple contacts with some of the 9/11 hijackers. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens. The findings however show no smoking gun for Saudi involvement, but rather an inability to "identify definitively" Saudi links to attacks on U.S. soil and global terror."While in the United States, some of the 9/11 hijackers were in contact with, and received support or assistance from, individuals who may be connected to the Saudi government," the declassified document said. One individual on the US East Coast, believed to be from the Saudi interior ministry, raised suspicions when appearing to fake a seizure during FBI questioning about his links to a hijacker. He was later released from hospital and managed to flee the country before he could be questioned again. Intelligence also turned up suggestions that Osama bin Laden's half-brother worked at the Saudi embassy in Washington and was associated with a friend to Egyptian hijack leader Mohammed Atta. In California, a suspected Saudi intelligence operative was believed to have provided "substantial assistance" to two other hijackers.
The phone book of an Al-Qaeda operative captured in Pakistan meanwhile pointed to U.S. contacts, notably a company which managed a Colorado property of the then Saudi ambassador. Responding to the report, Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said that these suspicions had been investigated in the interim years and debunked. "None of it has proven to be substantiated in any way," Jubeir told reporters in Washington. "The matter is now finished." "We hope that with the release of these pages, the aspersions that have been cast against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the past 14 years will come to an end."White House press secretary Josh Earnest appeared to back up that claim. "This material was investigative material that was reviewed and followed up on by the independent 9/11 Commission," Earnest said.
"They don't shed any new light or change any of the conclusions about responsibility for the 9/11 attacks." - 'Unacceptable' intel gaps -The year-long Congressional investigation also expressed anger about gaps in U.S. intelligence about Saudi Arabia's possible links to terror, deeming them "unacceptable" given the "magnitude and immediacy of the potential risk to U.S. national security." Former president George W. Bush had ordered that part of the report be classified. Bush's administration had cited the need to protect the methods and identities of U.S. intelligence sources. But there was also concern that the report could damage relations with an important Middle Eastern ally and oil exporter. President Barack Obama had decided to declassify the so-called "28 pages." The revelations are likely to prompt a fresh round of hand-wringing about Washington's close ties with Riyadh and Saudi Arabia's role in fostering violent extremism.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 16-17/16

French Lesson: Guns not Critical To Jihadi Violence

A.J. Caschetta/The Daily Caller/July 16/16
Originally published under the title "French Lessons."
The Bastille Day attack in Nice, France last night should cause the Democrats to reconsider their gun control approach to counterterrorism. After San Bernardino and then Orlando, Obama, Chuck Schumer and others have been citing jihadi terror attacks to support their domestic legislation agenda.
France is about as close to a national gun-free zone as you can get. Lesson number one from France is that gun laws will not stop jihad terror. There are no gun show loopholes in France, because there are no gun shows. There are no mandatory waiting periods, and there is no debate about gun control. Everybody agrees that guns are bad, so only the police have them. Or at least that was the plan. But of course the people who don't obey laws have guns. They are called criminals. Lately a lot of them happen to be Jihadis.
Lesson #1 from France: gun laws will not stop jihad terror.
Remember the touching father and son scene last November, after a jihad attack in France, where Parisians were consoling themselves in the modern fashion with flowers, stuffed animals and candles? A conversation between a reporter, a young father and his little boy was captured on French television and "went viral." The boy was worried about all of the bad guys with guns. His father told him not to worry "They've got guns but we have flowers." Lesson number two from France is when your enemy has guns, flowers will not suffice. So another jihadi has used guns to kill French citizens. This one was also prepared to use grenades (also illegal in France). But he also used a truck, reminiscent of Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar who in 2006 drove his SUV into a crowd of people on the campus of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill injuring nine. Lesson #2 from France: when your enemy has guns, flowers will not suffice. Banning firearms did not prevent the Nice, France attacker from finding and using firearms. It did not prevent the Bataclan killers, or the killers at the Charlie Hebdo offices, or the killer at the Hyper Kasher Deli, or the killer at the Jewish school in Toulouse. Nor did it prevent the Moroccan jihadi on the train in Paris, who would have done much more damage had it not been for the valiant efforts of three type-A, gung ho Americans with nerves of steel. While the crew of the French train ran away from the shooter, Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler ran towards the gunfire and subdued him. Lesson number three from France is that only by fighting back can you survive. Banning firearms as a way of preventing jihadi terror pretends that jihadis (and others), suddenly unable to find firearms, will give up on their plans. History says otherwise. There will still be black market firearms. And banning legal firearms makes it very unlikely that civilians under attack will be able to defend themselves. There are not many Stones, Skarlatos or Sadlers in the world.
Lesson #3 from France: only by fighting back can you survive.
In Belgium earlier this year the jihadis didn't even use guns but instead bombs – just like the jihadis who attacked the London underground in 2005, the Madrid trains in 2003, the Bali night club in 2002, the World Trade Center in 1993.Trying to prevent jihadis from acquiring weapons by passing laws that outlaw weapons misses two points: they will ignore these laws and get the prohibited weapons anyway, or they will find things that can be used as weapons. Wasn't that the "tactical" lesson of 9/11? After 9/11 when the U.S. government created more government (DHS, TSA, ODNI) in response to jihadi terrorism and then began confiscating weapons from airline passengers – scissors, tweezers, nail clippers – rumor had it that the Israelis thought we were crazy. Our attempts to interdict weapons rather than those who would use them seemed counterintuitive to good counterterrorism. All these years later and another president is still chasing weapons. Of course finding those who would use weapons in attacks as part of the global jihad movement – whether they call themselves members of Al-Qaeda, ISIS or the Jabhat al-Nusra Front – requires that one look for jihadists.
** A.J. Caschetta is a Shillman-Ginsburg fellow at the Middle East Forum and a senior lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Saudi Arabia's Faisal: Iran is breeding chaos through Hamas
Mohammed Othman/Al-Monitor/July 16/16
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Despite recent overtures from Hamas, Saudi Arabia is making it clear it has no intention of forging a relationship with the group.
At the annual anti-Iran regime rally July 9, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal Al Saud accused Iran of breeding chaos in several Middle Eastern countries by supporting various groups, including Hamas in Palestine. The Paris rally, organized by the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran (Mujahedeen-e-Khalq), drew more than 100,000 people, including Western political leaders such as Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca, the former vice president of the European Union, and Philip Crowley, the former US assistant secretary of state. Faisal said, “Iran is adopting hostile policies and establishing sectarian organizations and irregular armies in the name of Islam to serve the interests of its leadership. Iran's policies, followed by the regime of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini since 1979, are based — from a constitutional standpoint — on the principle of exporting the revolution and violating states’ policy under the slogan of supporting the weak and the oppressed.”Hamas leader Ahmed Youssef told Al-Monitor that those sudden and shocking statements came in the context of Saudi Arabia’s rapprochement with Israel within the scope of the existing media war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and attempts by each party to accuse the other of supporting terrorism. He said, “It is likely that Israel has made intelligence and security alliances with some Arab countries, aimed at targeting Iran and the Palestinian resistance." Those Arab countries want to "woo Israel, which has become the most important regional player at the military and political levels.”
Youssef believes the region is witnessing a repositioning of stances and alliances. He said, “It seems that the current map of the region, after the massive destruction of Arab states such as Syria and Iraq, is taking on a sectarian shape with political and media battles between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Arab region is also witnessing polarizations between its states.
"In this context, Hamas is trying to maintain its independence and not be dragged into the policy of axes, whose effects on the Palestinian cause are disastrous. This is why statements are being issued reflecting the disagreement between this or that party and Hamas.”
Youssef said he hopes Saudi Arabia will officially denounce Faisal's statements. But given the alliances in the region, such as the international coalition against the Islamic State and the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia to fight the rebels in Yemen, some analysts believe that will not be the case.
Palestinian political analyst Akram Atallah told Al-Monitor that Faisal is one of the main pillars of the Saudi regime and one of the most influential figures within the royal family. Atallah pointed out that Faisal's statements didn't just appear out of the blue and aren't likely to be denied, given the nature of Saudi Arabia’s alliances in the region and the much-talked-about Israeli-Turkish rapprochement. Atallah said, “These statements were made at an anti-Iranian regime rally. It seems that Faisal wanted to take an explicit position by attending this influential rally. Faisal wanted to deliver a message to the Iranian opposition that Hamas is allying with a regime that [Saudi Arabia] opposes and that is breeding chaos in the region.”
Hamas apparently convinced itself that it had a relationship in good standing with Saudi Arabia, when in fact their ties are severed, he added.
“There is no Saudi communication with Hamas. Hamas is delusional to the point that in early April, it talked about a Saudi invitation to a [Hamas] delegation to visit Saudi Arabia at the end of the month. However, this was later denied in the media. This means that Hamas convinced itself that Saudi Arabia is trying to get closer to it. However, the Saudi anti-Hamas position remained unchanged, despite the change of Saudi governments," Atallah said. He added, “At the beginning of the rule of Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud [in January 2015], Saudi Arabia gave the impression that it was changing its position and that Salman could be more open than former Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz toward the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas — but it soon readopted its old stances.”
Atallah believes that, at the moment, Hamas does not want to upset any of the Arab parties, particularly Saudi Arabia. He explained that Hamas has many enemies in the region and the world, and cannot afford to start new battles, especially since it realizes the economic and media power of the Saudi regime.
“Hamas tried to get close to the Saudi regime. It maintained an incomprehensible stance on Operation Decisive Storm in which Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries hit Yemen. Hamas assumed this was a token of friendship offered to Saudi Arabia within the scope of new alliances in the region,” Atallah said. “I do not think Hamas is in the process of starting any battle against Saudi Arabia, not even in the media, since it knows the Saudi strength and its influence over some of the Arab countries with whom Hamas seeks to establish good relations.” So even though Hamas has made gestures of friendship toward Saudi Arabia and has taken an impartial position on numerous political and military battles waged by Saudi Arabia, the recent Saudi statements about Hamas make it very clear the two have no relationship.

Why some Iraqi Shiites are pushing for distance from Iran
Ali Mamouri/Al-Monitor/July 16/16
NAJAF, Iraq — Iraq’s Shiites are witnessing a political-religious rift in their stance toward Iran whose development can be traced back to 2003. While some express complete loyalty to the Shiite political regime in Tehran, others object to its regional policies, including toward Iraq, and distance from it.
In one example, the predominantly Shiite Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) held a military parade July 1 in Basra. They destroyed US and Israeli flags and burned photos of Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. The march sparked criticism and anger among some Shiites, because the United States has friendly relations with Iraq and is supporting its security forces in their war against the Islamic State (IS). Also, given the state competition in the region, hostility toward Saudi Arabia is not in Iraq’s interest.
In a related development, differing attitudes could be detected surrounding the demonstrations on International Quds Day, July 1, essentially reflecting the debate over whether Iraqi Shiites should be affiliated with Iran or pursue interests and priorities different from those of the Tehran government. At Quds Day protests organized by the PMU faction Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq in Najaf, a religious hub for Shiite clerics, there was no marked presence of clerics. In contrast, in Qom, Najaf’s religious competitor that receives funding from Iran, a remarkable number of clerics attended the annual protest. Jihad al-Asadi, an instructor in the religious seminary at Najaf, told Al-Monitor, “The Najaf seminary does not support any political agenda outside Iraqi national interests.”
On July 2, Interior Minister Mohammed al-Ghabban issued an order referring “several officers and policemen from the Basra police to an investigative council and implementation of the sanctions cited in the Penal Code of the Internal Security Forces” for their participation in the Quds Day protests because of its political nature. Following the July 3 bombing at the Karrada market, in a predominantly Shiite area of Baghdad, that killed more than 300 people, Shiite activists criticized some Shiites for supposedly having more enthusiasm for International Quds Day than concern about the bomb attack, which produced the highest death toll in the country since the Iraqi invasion. Among those holding such a view is Khudeir Fleih al-Zeidi, an Iraqi author and novelist from Nasiriyah, who told Al-Monitor, “Those who celebrated the International Quds Day did not mourn the victims of the attacks. The question is easy: Karrada or Jerusalem?” In an interview with Al-Monitor, Naqaa al-Tamimi, a veterinarian who pursued her studies in Iran, said, “Why don’t Iranians show solidarity with our plight like the Karrada attack, knowing that we have the same confession, and we welcome them warmly on several yearly religious occasions?”
On July 4, apparently pro-Iranian Shiite militias, taking advantage of attention being focused on the aftermath of the Karrada attack, shelled Camp Liberty, where members of the Mujahedeen-e Khalq, an Iranian opposition movement, are housed. The shells also landed in a nearby, predominantly Sunni refugee camp, perhaps by accident, killing three people and injuring 11 others. A prominent cleric from Najaf told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “Some armed Shiite groups are only interested in abiding by Iranian orders. Why would Iraq shell the Liberty Camp and kill innocent Iraqis even if by mistake?”
As can be gleaned from the clerics remarks, the armed Shiite factions are themselves divided on loyalty to Iran. Al-Aalem al-Jadeed newspaper published what appeared to be an official response from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on the matter of a letter from the leader of Liwa’ Ansar al-Marja’iya informing Abadi that Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis, the deputy chairman of the PMU, and reportedly Iran’s most powerful military man in Iraq, had stopped distributing government salaries to armed Shiite factions not connected to Iran. Abadi later ordered an investigation into the salary situation.
Most factions without relations to Iran — including Liwa’ Ansar al-Marja’iya, the Abbas Battle Group, Liwa’ Ali al-Akbar, the Imam Ali Troop and the Kadhimin Battle Group — are affiliated with the Shiite authority in Najaf, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani or Shiite holy shrines under Sistani’s supervision. Sajad al-Rabihi, a cleric fighting in the ranks of the Abbas Battle Group, confirmed the cutoff of salaries to Al-Monitor. The issue of divided loyalties, between Iran and Sistani followers, among the Shiite PMU militias had been identified earlier by the United States and appears now to have been confirmed by the salary cutoff. Some observers believe the pro-Iran current within the PMU is trying to seize control and expel those not in line with Tehran from the movement. In addition to news of the salary cutoff, Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of the Badr Organization, which is close to Iran, and some other PMU militia leaders met with former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on June 27. Amiri praised Maliki, saying, “The decision to form the Popular Mobilization Units was Maliki’s. He has strongly supported them since the beginning.”
Amiri’s statements angered clerics in Najaf, because they contradicted the reality that the militias comprising the PMU began forming after a call by Sistani on June 13, 2014, for Iraqis to take up arms in the wake of IS' capture of Mosul on June 10. Maliki's role consisted of his administration bringing the PMU under some sort of government supervision to coordinate action with the Iraqi national army. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Peace Battalion, one of the largest PMU factions, sarcastically dismissed Amir's statements, saying, “Maliki’s alleged Popular Mobilization Units, if they exist, do not represent me or Iraq,” highlighting the division in the organization. The Iranian Fars News Agency published a news brief accompanied by an image of Maliki at his house welcoming Qasem Soleimani, the leader of the Iranian Quds Force, for iftar on June 29. Several PMU leaders were also invited. On July 3, Sky News Arabia, citing Iraqi sources, reported that Soleimani had allegedly proposed to Abadi that command of the PMU be given to Maliki. There were no corroborating reports of such a proposal having been made. Ultimately, it seems, the Shiite division in Iraq revolves around how to organize relations with Iran in terms of pursuing Iranian agendas and building relations with Tehran based on mutual interests as well as Iraqi values and interests.

France: The Coming Civil War
Yves Mamou/Gatestone Institute/July 16/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8489/france-the-coming-civil-war
For French President François Hollande, the enemy is an abstraction: "terrorism" or "fanatics".
Instead, the French president reaffirms his determination to military actions abroad: "We are going to reinforce our actions in Syria and Iraq," the president said after the Nice attack.
So confronted with this failure of our elite who were elected to guide the country across nationals and internationals dangers, how astonishing is it if paramilitary groups are organizing themselves to retaliate?
In France, the global elites made a choice. They decided that the "bad" voters in France were unreasonable people too stupid to see the beauties of a society open to people who often who do not want to assimilate, who want you to assimilate to them, and who threaten to kill you if you do not. The elite took the side against their own old and poor because those people did not want to vote for them any longer. They also made a choice not to fight Islamism because Muslims vote collectively for this global elite.
"We are on the verge of a civil war." That quote did not come from a fanatic or a lunatic. No, it came from head of France's homeland security, the DGSI (Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure), Patrick Calvar. He has, in fact, spoken of the risk of a civil war many times. On July 12th, he warned a commission of members of parliament, in charge of a survey about the terrorist attacks of 2015, about it.
French police shoot dead a Tunisian-born Islamist terrorist who murdered 84 people in Nice, France, July 14, 2016. (Image source: Sky News video screenshot)
In May 2016, he delivered almost the same message to another commission of members of parliament, this tme in charge of national defense. "Europe," he said, "is in danger. Extremism is on the rise everywhere, and we are now turning our attention to some far-right movements who are preparing a confrontation".
What kind of confrontation? "Intercommunity confrontations," he said -- polite for "a war against Muslims." "One or two more terrorist attacks," he added, "and we may well see a civil war."
In February 2016, in front of a senate commission in charge of intelligence information, he said again: " We are looking now at far-right extremists who are just waiting for more terrorist attacks to engage in violent confrontation".
No one knows if the truck terrorist, who plowed into the July 14th Bastille Day crowd in Nice and killed more than 80 people, will be the trigger for a French civil war, but it might help to look at what creates the risk of one in France and other countries, such as Germany or Sweden.
The main reason is the failure of the state.
1. France is at War but the Enemy is Never Named.
France is the main target of repeated Islamist attacks; the more important Islamist terrorist bloodbaths took place at the magazine Charlie Hebdo and the Hypercacher supermarket of Vincennes (2015); the Bataclan, its nearby restaurants and the Stade de France stadium, (2015); the failed attack on theThalys train; the beheading of Hervé Cornara (2015); the assassination of two policemen in Magnanville in June (2016), and now the truck-ramming in Nice, on the day commemorating the French Revolution of 1789.
Most of those attacks were committed by French Muslims: citizens on their way back from Syria (the Kouachi brothers at Charlie Hebdo), or by French Islamists (Larossi Abballa who killed a police family in Magnanville last June) who later claimed their allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS). The truck killer in Nice was Tunisian but married with a French woman,three children together, and living quietly in Nice until he decided to murder more than 80 people and wound dozens more.
At each of these tragic episodes, the head of state, President François Hollande, refused to name the enemy, refused to name Islamism -- and especially refused to name French Islamists -- as the enemy of French citizens.
For Hollande, the enemy is an abstraction: "terrorism" or "fanatics". Even when the president does dare to name "Islamism" the enemy, he refuses to say he will close all Salafist mosques, prohibit the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist organizations in France, or ban veils for women in the street and at university. No, instead, the French president reaffirms his determination for military actions ... abroad: "We are going to reinforce our actions in Syria and Iraq," the president said after the Nice attack.
For France's head of state, the deployment of soldiers on the national ground is for defensive actions only: a dissuasive policy, not an offensive rearmament of the Republic against an internal enemy.
So confronted with this failure by our elite -- who were elected to guide the country across national and international dangers -- how astonishing is it if paramilitary groups are organizing themselves to retaliate?
As Mathieu Bock-Côté, a sociologist in France and Canada says in Le Figaro:
"Western elites, with a suicidal obstinacy, oppose naming the enemy. Confronted by attacks in Brussels or Paris, they prefer to imagine a philosophical fight between democracy and terrorism, between an open society and fanaticism, between civilization and barbarism".
2. The Civil War Has Already Begun and Nobody Wants to Name It.
The civil war began sixteen years ago, with the second Intifada. When Palestinians invented suicide attacks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, French Muslims began to terrorize Jews living peacefully in France. For sixteen years, Jews -- in France --were slaughtered, attacked, tortured and stabbed by French Muslim citizens supposedly to avenge Palestinian people in the West Bank.
When a group of French citizens who are Muslims declares war on another group of French citizens who are Jews, what do you call it?
For the French establishment, it is not a civil war, just a regrettable misunderstanding between two "ethnic" communities.
Until now, no one has wanted to establish a connection between these attacks and the murderous attack in Nice against people who were not necessarily Jews -- and name it as it should be named: a civil war.
For the very politically correct French establishment, the danger of a civil war will begin only if anyone retaliates against French Muslims; if everyone just submits to their demands, everything is all right. Until now, no one thinks that the terrorist attacks against Jews by French Muslims; against Charlie Hebdo's journalists by French Muslims; against an entrepreneur who was beheaded a year ago by a French Muslim; against young Ilan Halimi by a group of Muslims; against schoolchildren in Toulouse by a French Muslim; against the passengers on the Thalys train by a French Muslim, against the innocent people in Nice by an almost French Muslim were the symptoms of a civil war. These bloodbaths remain, still today something like a climatic catastrophe, a kind of tragic misunderstanding.
3. The French Establishment Considers the Enemy the Poor the Old and the Disappointed
In France, who most complains about Muslim immigration? Who most suffers from local Islamism? Who most likes to drink a glass of wine or eat a ham-and-butter sandwich? The poor and the old who live close to Muslim communities, because they do not have the money to move someplace else.
Today, as a result, millions of the poor and the old in France are ready to elect Marine Le Pen, president of the rightist Front National, as the next president of the Republic for the simple reason that the only party that wants to fight illegal immigration is the Front National.
Because, however, these French old and poor want to vote for the Front National, they have become the enemy of the French establishment, right and left. What is the Front National saying to these people? "We are going to restore France as a nation of French people". And the poor and the old believe it – because they have no choice.
Similarly, the poor and the old in Britain had no choice but to vote for Brexit. They took the first tool given them to express their disappointment at living in a society they did not like anymore. They did not vote to say, "Kill these Muslims who are transforming my country, stealing my job and soaking up my taxes". They were just protesting a society that a global elite had begun to transform without their consent.
In France, the global elites made a choice. They decided that the "bad" voters in France were unreasonable people too stupid, too racists to see the beauties of a society open to people who often who do not want to assimilate, who want you to assimilate to them, and who threaten to kill you if you do not.
The global elites made another choice: they took the side against their own old and poor because those people did not want to vote for them any longer. The global elites also chose not to fight Islamism, because Muslims vote globally for the global elite. Muslims in Europe also offer a big "carrot" to the global elite: they vote collectively.
In France, 93% of Muslims voted for the current president, François Hollande, in 2012. In Sweden, the Social Democrats reported that 75% of Swedish Muslims voted for them in the general election of 2006; and studies show that the "red-green" bloc gets 80-90% of the Muslim vote.
4. Is the Civil War Inevitable? Yes!
If the establishment does not want to see that civil war was already declared by extremist Muslims first -- if they do not want to see that the enemy is not the Front National in France, the AfD in Germany, or the Sweden Democrats -- but Islamism in France, in Belgium, in Great Britain, in Sweden -- then a civil war will happen.
France, like Germany and Sweden, has a military and police strong enough to fight against an internal Islamist enemy. But first, they have to name it and take measures against it. If they do not -- if they leave their native citizens in despair, with no other means than to arm themselves and retaliate – yes, civil war is inevitable.
Yves Mamou, based in France, worked for two decades as a journalist for Le Monde.
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Why terror at Black Lives Matter event shouldn’t smear the movement
Brooklyn Middleton/Al Arabiya/July 16/16
The horrendous terrorist attack targeting police officers at a Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstration in Dallas, Texas, that left five officers dead and another seven people, including two civilians, injured, should not be capitalized on to smear the movement. When Micah Xavier Johnson opened fatal fire from a nearby building, ending the lives of innocent people who were taking photos with BLM protesters and tweeting out updates about the demonstration only hours prior, he jeopardized the welfare of every single person attending the demonstration. The brutal terrorist attack against Dallas officers – apparently motivated by extremist ideology espoused by Black separatist groups – should not end our national discussion about recent Black lives lost, including Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. And it should not further divide the nation. The latest reports indicate that Johnson, an Afghanistan veteran and former US Army reservist, had been plotting his assault against police officers for quite some time; his decision to execute his attack during a BLM protest – with the timing and location absolutely jeopardizing Black lives – underscores just how unaligned with the movement Johnson was. This is a point worth reiterating.
In addition to the aftermath of the attack, which has led some to attempt to blame the movement itself, Johnson could have been directly responsible for the bloodshed of the very people he claims to have carried out an attack on behalf of. It is only because of the professionalism and care Dallas police officers took – as soon as shots were fired and utter chaos erupted – that more people weren’t killed or wrongfully considered suspects. Those in a position of influence who are attempting to exacerbate tensions between BLM protesters and police should be shamed and dismissed
Murderous rampage
Johnson wanted to go on a murderous rampage and kill white police officers; he did not want to honor or protect Black lives. If his goal was the latter, he would have involved himself in peaceful activism not distracted from precisely that. Prior to the attack, the deaths of Alton Sterling – fatally shot by police outside of a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile - shot to death during a routine traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, were the latest police-related deaths to trigger outrage and calls for sweeping changes. Castile’s girlfriend, Lavish Reynolds, – a fellow passenger in the vehicle that was reportedly stopped for a broken taillight, recorded the immediate aftermath of the shooting; Castile bleeds to death on camera while his girlfriend notes he is licensed to carry while the police officer – sounding utterly panicked with his gun still drawn – screams, “I told him not to reach for it!” Reynolds’s four-year-old daughter witnesses the entire shooting from the backseat.
Poignant response
Following the deadly incident, The New York Times reported that Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota poignantly asked, “Would this have happened if the driver were white, if the passengers were white? I don’t think it would have.”Immediately following the terrorist attack in Dallas, former Congressman Joe Walsh responded by tweeting out a threat to BLM “punks” and to President Obama himself, who he told to “Watch out.” It is precisely this type of incitement that could trigger further violence and terrify people into questioning whether the US is currently embroiled in a “Civil War.”In sharp contrast to such incendiary remarks and headlines, Dallas police chief David Brown has continued to remain calm and call for unity, vowing that the attack “will not discourage us from continuing the pace of urgency in chasing and reforming policing in America.”
The country is in mourning; pleas for unity should not be deemed as a trite response to the tragedy in Dallas but as a sincere call for deescalating tensions and preventing future bloodshed. Meanwhile, those in a position of influence who are attempting to exacerbate tensions between BLM protesters and police should be shamed and dismissed.

Why was France attacked again and singled out by ISIS?
Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/July 16/16
On July 14 - Bastille Day, the most celebrated day in France - the city of Nice suffered a bloody and cowardly attack aimed at killing and injuring civilians who gathered to celebrate. It is still unclear whether the attack was planned by or linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), or if it was the work of a lone wolf who seemed to be known to local police as a violent Tunisian resident in France. Regardless of the motives, it seems France will remain under attack for the foreseeable future. In saying that, however, French authorities have dramatically improved their measures to defend the country against terror. They continue to foil potential attacks and investigate more thoroughly young French and non-French residents with links to ISIS. The authorities have successfully organized major international events, namely the Cannes film festival and the Euro 2016 football tournament, which took place in several French cities simultaneously with hundreds of thousands in attendance daily. However, France seems more susceptible to terrorism than any other European country, and other nations that are party to the international military coalition battling ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Ironically, ISIS has attacked France several times despite the country only carrying out a fraction of attacks compared to other coalition members. Russia and Iran have been openly sending planes, troops and military hardware against ISIS, yet it seems the group does not see targeting either country as a priority. Frnce’s short-term fate is to continue showing resilience and promoting faith instead of fear. President Francois Holland says France is attacked for the values and liberties it has promised to uphold for centuries. I would add that it is attacked for all the good causes it stands up for, including Ukraine, Syria, Palestine and Yemen. Ironically, ISIS has attacked France several times despite the country only carrying out a fraction of attacks compared to other coalition members
Repercussions
The attacks in Nice, and against Charlie Hebdo and the Bataclan theater, are likely to echo dangerously in multicultural France, which has the largest Muslim population in Europe. Liberties are likely to suffer. French Muslims, including those of North African origin, are again under the spotlight. Whether they like it or not, terrorism is committed in the name of their faith, and delivered by a small minority of criminals who live within those communities, bent on spoiling it for everyone. French Muslims are looked upon to start weeding out those violent extremists before it is too late, in a Europe where the extreme right and racist supremacists, allied indirectly with ISIS, would win elections and introduce drastic measures that would destroy what is left of decades-old European liberties and values.

Turkey’s failed coup: What are the regional implications?
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/July 16/16
While the aftermath of the attempted coup by a faction within the Turkish military – known as the “Peace in the Country Council” – continues to unfold, immediate ramifications are evident within Turkey and in Ankara’s foreign affairs conduct.Obviously, Turkey’s internal dynamics played out immediately. The military appeared to be divided from the start as the officers and servicemen involved did not anticipate the strong message of unity from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, government ministers, and some generals who were able to call in to TV channels or send messages via FaceTime and Twitter. The call to the streets by Erdogan, the messages of unity from Turkish political parties outside of the AKP orbit, and also from Turkey’s mosques in support of the Turkish government helped quash the plot. However, the damage is done: clashes were followed by killing of dozens, mass arrests, and summary executions reportedly carried out by Turkish supporters of the AKP. The ripple effect of the coup attempt – based on what appears to have been a pending purge of Gulen supporters from the military’s ranks, “discord” over the departure of former prime minister Davutoglu, stripping of parliamentary immunity of Kurdish MPs, and crackdown on the media, are set to reverberate going forward. The Turkish President is likely to emerge stronger and harsher against the Gulenists and there are calls for the parliament to bring back the death penalty for the coup plotters that will obviously put Ankara on a collision course with the European Union. More importantly, the Turkish elimination of Gulenists will also impact Ankara-Washington relations as Muhammed Fethullah Gulen resides in Pennsylvania. This fact makes Erdogan and his supporters angry with the United States. The US Secretary of State John Kerry has invited Turkey to present evidence against the Gulen movement. Perhaps the next administration will need to deal with the perception that America is allowing the Gulenists to maintain their opposition to the AKP and by pressuring America on Incirlik Air Force base. Such threats against Washington’s use of the base are not unprecedented.
The Soviet parallel
Some analysts have compared the Turkish coup to the Soviet coup of 1991 in terms of organization and failure. They need to be reminded that the coup on that occasion failed eventually. There are possibilities of Turkey facing trouble in the future in terms of its own regional bifurcation between Anatolia and the remainder of the country. Local observers note that for the past year Anatolia’s increasing “independence” with a robust economy has benefited the belligerents in the Syrian crisis. Others compare this to coup attempts against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2002 or even the successful one against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Such comparisons are not useful: Turkey’s situation is unique because of the historical nature of the Turkish military coups and the protection of Kemalist ideas. With Erdogan’s ire, those days may now be numbered. On the whole, Turkey going through catharsis at this critical juncture in the war against ISIS, and the Syrian peace process, could not have come at a worse time. Nevertheless, the implications for Turkish foreign policy in the region are troubling. First, Turkey’s purge of the military is likely to affect the capability of that force to conduct operations in the short term. In my view, it is likely that a weakened Turkish military may boost ISIS and Kurdish factions who seek to target the country. Second, Erdogan will have to focus more on Turkey’s immediate needs as opposed to Ankara’s foreign policy projects in Africa and specifically in Libya. Since the mid-2000s, Turkey has been working overtime to increase its influence in this continent for economic purposes. Ankara’s Libya policy is also perhaps going to lapse, giving an edge to the Tobruk (House of Representatives) government over Tripoli. Third, the failed coup may have an immediate impact on Turkey’s relations with Russia. Given that Erdogan just mended relations with President Putin, Kremlin is likely thrilled that Turkey’s President was jolted from within. Moscow seems to be aware that it can now manipulate pressure points on Ankara in regards to Kremlin’s policy in Syria, the Caucasus, and beyond. On the whole, Turkey going through catharsis at this critical juncture in the war against ISIS, and the Syrian peace process, could not have come at a worse time. The coup attempt is likely to send shockwaves for months to come, affecting regional security and challenging all observers and stakeholders to take a deep breath and prepare for months of uncertainty in this NATO member on the cusp of deep self-reflection.

Erdogan’s victory: More than meets the eye?
Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/July 16/16
The short term consequences resulting from this weekend’s stunning failed coup attempt in Turkey seem clear enough. Surviving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s position is strengthened, allowing him to energetically purge the disloyal army of both Gulenist and Kemalist factions who wish him ill. In his defiant speech from Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Erdogan laid the blame for the coup squarely at the feet of “those in Pennsylvania,” meaning exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former supporter of the president, now turned bitter enemy. A shadowy figure with followers permeating the military, court system, and police, for years Gulen proved to be a powerful, important, ally of the Turkish President. However, in 2013, these former political partners in staring down Turkey’s secular establishment dramatically parted ways. Mired in corruption scandals which tainted his image as a clean pair of hands, Erdogan blamed Gulenists for targeting his supporters, including his son Bilal. He responded to the charges by purging the judiciary and police of Gulenist supporters, shifting back toward a temporary alliance with the cowed army as a base of power to see off the Gulenist challenge.
In this purge he was successful, as ultra-loyal police forces just played a major role in putting down the attempted coup. With the failure of the plot, Erdogan can continue his housecleaning of Gulenists from the military itself.
By sweeping away competing power centers in the army, the judiciary, and the police force, Erdogan has superficially vanquished his foes
As harmed as the Gulenist cause is by the failure of the revolt, the aborted coup signals nothing so much as the death knell of the formerly dominant secular “Deep State:” the cadre of secular political, intelligence and military officials who have really run Turkey for much of the time since Ataturk founded the modern Turkish state. In their statement announcing the coup, the military faction accused Erdogan of undermining the country’s secular tradition, with his advocacy of a relatively moderate form of Islamism. Given the armed forces unofficial but deeply held belief that it is the guardian of country’s founding Kemalist secular culture, this was reason enough for Erdogan’s overthrow. But the coup – if bloody in that over 200 people died – was put down with relative ease, over the course of a single evening. It signals the likely last hurrah of the army-dominated Deep State. Over time, Erdogan has been highly successful in dealing with the once over-mighty army, pensioning off secularists in the high command (and marginalising the remnant), all the while promoting more overtly Islamist officers.
It was this mortal final institutional threat to their shrinking power base that seems to have compelled the Kemalist faction within the army to act. Their failure signals their political doom, as Erdogan has grimly noted that the failed coup amounts to “an opportunity” to once and for all cleanse the armed forces of its formerly dominant Kemalist orientation.
A sign of weakness, not strength
But if in the short run Erdogan emerges from the ashes of the failed coup phoenix-like, with his power enhanced, and if his enemies in the Gulenist movement and the army lie in ruins, the longer term picture for Turkey that the coup exposed is far less clear.
The standard Western narrative about the present state of the Middle East holds that while the Arab world is in chaos following the failure of the Arab Spring, the more coherent, non-Arab states at the periphery of the Middle East – Iran, Israel, and Turkey – are the dominant players. The failed Turkish coup calls this common belief into fundamental question, as suddenly Erdogan’s reign seems far less secure than it did, even days ago. The Turkish President’s form of majoritarian democracy – a system with few checks and balances beyond the ultimate power of the people to eject him from office – now looks politically brittle. By sweeping away competing power centers in the army, the judiciary, and the police force, Erdogan has superficially vanquished his foes, rather than co-opting them through the usual democratic norm of political compromise.
The problem with this method is that while the ruling AKP Party tends to have slightly more than majority support across the country, it does leave a huge, embittered and massive minority of the country (well over 40 percent) implacably opposed to Erdogan’s increasingly over-mighty behavior.
The fact that he has no rivals in his own party means that he also has no obvious successor to carry on his mildly Islamist reforms in a heretofore secular Turkish society. In dominating everyone, Erdogan is a one-man band.
The problem with this is that it exposes the fragility of his political project, in that he and he alone is all that is holding his immediate political ascendancy together. It is that political fragility that the failed coup has just exposed for all to see.
So while in the aftermath of the failed coup, the Turkish President bestrides the Bosporus like a political colossus, real cracks are showing in the grand edifice of his rule. Turkey is not the stable state it was taken for just a few days ago.