Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • THERE IS NOW A COUP IN TURKEY.

  • THIS USED TO HAPPEN ONCE A DECADE, BUT IT HASN'T HAPPENED

  • IN QUITE SOME TIME. THIS COUP IS UNUSUAL IN TWO WAYS, FIRST

  • COUPS IN TURKEY ARE NOT TO END DEMOCRACY, THEY ARE NORMALLY

  • DONE TO PROTECT SECULAR DEMOCRACY. BUT THAT IS NOT THE

  • HISTORY IN TURKEY. IN TURKEY USUALLY IF THE GOVERNMENT HAS

  • SUCCEEDED ITS MANDATE, THE MILITARY IS A PROTECTOR OF

  • SECULAR DEMOCRACY, THEY WILL STEP IN AND GET RID OF THAT

  • GOVERNMENT AND THEN HAVE ORDERLY ELECTIONS AFTERWARD. NOW

  • ERDOGAN IS A RIGHT-WINGER, THE

  • PRESIDENT OF TURKEY. HE CLAIMS THAT HE HAS WON ALL THESE

  • ELECTIONS. HE SAYS HE IS ON THE

  • SIDE OF DEMOCRACY. SO SOME OF THESE ELECTIONS HAD STRETCHED

  • THE

  • BOUNDS OF REASON. THERE IS NOW A PEACE COUNCIL WHICH IS WHAT THE

  • COUP IS CALLING HAS CLAIMED OVER THE COUNTRY. BUT THAT IS THE

  • SECOND INCREDIBLY UNUSUAL PART OF THIS. NORMALLY A COUP HAPPENS

  • FAIRLY QUICKLY. USUALLY THERE IS A DECISIVE BLOW, THEY TAKE OVER

  • THINGS LIKE THE MEDIA OUTLETS, AND IN THIS DAY AND AGE WE CAN

  • TAKE OVER THE MEDIA OUTLETS. THE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY WENT ON

  • FACETIME TO GET HIS MESSAGE OUT. YOU TAKE OVER THE MEDIA, YOU

  • TAKE OVER IMPORTANT POLICE INSTALLATIONS, THE AIRPORT, ETC.

  • AND YOU FINALLY GET THE PERSON YOU ARE TRYING TO DO A COUP ON.

  • RIGHT NOW IT APPEARS THEY DO NOT

  • HAVE THE PRESIDENT. FURTHERMORE, THE MILITARY IS DIVIDED.

  • NORMALLY IT IS A UNITED MILITARY THAT DOES A COUP, IN THIS CASE

  • IT IS NOT. IT IS NOT REMOTELY OVER. THERE IS NO RESOLUTION TO

  • THIS COUP AS WE SPEAK. WE ARE

  • DOING THIS LIVE. THIS CAN STRETCH ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

  • I HAVE SOURCES FROM INSIDE

  • TURKEY THAT ARE SAYING THAT PEOPLE ARE OUT ON THE STREETS.

  • THE FACT THAT HE CALLED THE PEOPLE OUT SHOWS YOU GOOD NEWS

  • AND BAD NEWS FOR HIM. HE DOES HAVE A LOT OF SUPPORTERS IN THE

  • COUNTRY. HE IS CALLING OUT THE FUNDAMENTALIST PEOPLE. SO THERE

  • HAS BEEN SHOOTING BACK AND FORTH. JOHN WILL GIVE YOU

  • DETAILS ABOUT THAT. THE POLICE ARE GENERALLY ON THE SIDE OF THE

  • GOVERNMENT.

  • THAT MEANS THE POLICE AND THE MILITARY ARE OFTEN IN CONFLICT

  • AND THERE ARE REPORTS OF SHOOTOUTS THERE AS WELL.

  • >> THE TELEGRAPH IS REPORTING THAT 17

  • POLICE OFFICERS THAT WERE KILLED.

  • IF THAT IS TRUE THEY WERE KILLED BY MILITARY.

  • >> ONE OF MY SOURCES SAYS THAT THE MILITARY WAS TRYING TO LAND

  • ON THE MOST IMPORTANT POLICE HEADQUARTERS IN ISTANBUL [VIDEO

  • BUFFERING] THEY CLAIM THAT IS WHAT STARTED THE HOSTILITIES ñ

  • BUT IN BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE MILITARY. NOW THERE ARE

  • REPORTS THAT THERE ARE TANKS FIRING AT THE PARLIAMENT

  • BUILDING. IN THE VERY BEGINNING OF THIS COUP, TURKISH TELEVISION

  • WAS RECORDING AS NOT A COUP, BUT A LIGHT MILITARY ACTION. THERE

  • IS NO SUCH THING AS A LIGHT COUP, YOU EITHER WIN OR YOU ALL

  • GET EXECUTED. SO NOW SOME PORTION OF THE TURKISH MILITARY

  • IS EITHER GOING TO WIN OR BE

  • EXECUTED, AND THE PRESIDENT IS EITHER GOING TO WIN OR WALK OUT

  • PRESUMABLY IN HANDCUFFS. THIS IS WINNER TAKE ALL.

  • PEOPLE ARE IN THE STREETS, TANKS ARE IN THE STREETS.

  • THIS IS A MESS.

  • >> AS YOU SAY, IT IS AN INTERESTING COUP, A VERY

  • MODERATE COUP. THEY TRIED TO TAKE OVER THE MEDIA, THE TOOK

  • OVER STATE TELEVISION, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, YOUTUBE WERE SHUT DOWN

  • ALMOST INSTANTLY. BUT BECAUSE OF VPNS THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF

  • INFORMATION THAT WAS COMING OUT

  • OF THE COUNTRY. BUT WE ALSO HAVE MANY JOURNALISTS BEING EJECTED

  • FROM THE COUNTRY, NOT BY THE

  • MILITARY, BUT PRIOR BY THE GOVERNMENT. IT IS A VERY

  • COMPLICATED SITUATION. SOME OF WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT CONTROLLING

  • KEY AREAS, THOSE ARE OUR INITIAL CLUES THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING

  • ON. SEVERAL BRIDGES HAVE BEEN BLOCKED OFF BY TANKS. EVENTUALLY

  • ONE AIRPORT WAS SHUT DOWN, NOW ALL AIRPORTS ARE SHUT DOWN. AS

  • YOU SAID THIS IS NOT A UNIFIED MILITARY EFFORT, IT IS ACTUALLY

  • FAR MORE DANGEROUS. YOU HAVE NOT ONLY THE INSTANCE WHERE THE

  • RENEGADE HELICOPTERS FIRED UPON THE POLICE STATION KILLING 17

  • PEOPLE. WE THEN HAD A JET AFFILIATED WITH THE MILITARY

  • FORCES LOYAL TO THE PRESIDENT SHOOTING DOWN ONE OF THOSE

  • HELICOPTERS. WE NOW HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR TANK BATTLES, AND

  • ARMED FORCES ON BOTH SIDES

  • FIGHTING.

  • >> WHEN YOU GET THE MILITARY FIRING ON POLICE IN THE CAPITAL,

  • THAT IS A CIVIL WAR.

  • THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT BEGIN A CIVIL WAR.

  • >> IF YOU ARE A BELIEVER IN SECULAR DEMOCRACY, THERE IS A

  • REASON TO ROOT FOR THIS COUP. I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF TRICKS

  • INSIDE THE COUNTRY THAT ARE HOPING THAT THIS GETS DONE, IF

  • IT DOES NOT THEN THE PRESIDENT REGAINS POWER AND HE WILL BE AN

  • IMMOVABLE OBJECT. HE WILL BE

  • GUARDED, HE WILL PASS EVERY DRACONIAN LAW AND THE

  • FUNDAMENTALISTS WILL HAVE A MUCH

  • TIGHTER REIN ON POWER. IF YOU ARE IN THAT SECULAR GROUP AND

  • WANT THE COUP TO SUCCEED, IT WAS GOOD NEWS IN THE BEGINNING AND

  • NOT GOOD NEWS NOW. YOU WANTED IT TO HAPPEN QUICKLY AND BE OVER,

  • BUT IT IS NOT OVER. ONE OF THE LEADING GENERALS SAID THAT I AM

  • NOT PART OF THIS AND HE DID NOT

  • TAKE SIDES. THE NAVY SAID WE ARE NOT PART OF THIS. THAT DOESN'T

  • MEAN THE NAVY ATTACKED THE COUP. YOU CAN SEE HOW THIS CAN GET

  • INTO AN UNBELIEVABLE MESS. COPS VERSUS MILITARY, PARTS OF THE

  • MILITARY VERSUS OTHER PARTS OF

  • THE MILITARY.

  • >> THE US WAS VERY SLOW TO TALK ABOUT THIS.

  • BUT NOW ñ

  • WE HAVE A BASE IN TURKEY THAT HOUSES NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

  • IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF WE REALLY DO CHOOSE SIDES.

  • >> THE PRESIDENT AND JOHN KERRY ñ THE SECRETARY UNDERSCORED

  • THAT THE STATE

  • DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE SAFETY AND SECURITY

  • OF US CITIZENS IN TURKEY. THERE IS SOME QUESTION AS A NATO

  • MEMBER, WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO

  • DO WHEN THERE IS A COUP ATTEMPT? IT IS A COMPLICATED SITUATION

  • AND

  • I'M PRETTY SURE THE US WANTS TO

  • SIDE WITH THE WINNER.

  • >>THE US ROLE IN THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY UNCLEAR.

  • NORMAL OPERATING PROCEDURE IS IF AN ALLY LIKE TURKEY IS GOING

  • TO PULL OFF A COUP AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT, THEY WOULD

  • CERTAINLY CONSULT WITH THE UNITED STATES.

  • >> IT APPEARS THEY DIDN'T. THIS IS TOO EARLY.

  • >> WHAT IS NOT EVIDENT IS SECRETARY KERRY OR PRES.

  • OBAMA'S WORDS.

  • THEY WOULD SAY THEY ARE BACKING THE GOVERNMENT NO MATTER WHAT

  • THEY DO.

  • >> THIS IS FROM REUTERS, A SENIOR EU SOURCE MONITORING THE

  • SITUATION SAID, "IT LOOKS LIKE A WELL ORCHESTRATED COUP BY A

  • SIGNIFICANT BODY IN THE MILITARY NOT JUST A FEW COLONELS. THEY

  • HAVE CONTROL OF THE AIRPORTS AND ARE EXPECTING CONTROL OVER THE

  • TV STATIONS. THEY CONTROL SEVERAL STRATEGIC POINTS IN

  • ISTANBUL. GIVEN THE SCALE IT IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THAT THEY

  • WILL STOP SHORT OF PREVAILING THOUGHT IS NOT JUST A FEW

  • COLONELS. THIS IS CLEARLY NOT SOME LITTLE COUP, THE TURKISH

  • AMBASSADOR WAS CLEARLY SHOCKED AND IS TAKING VERY SERIOUSLY.

  • HOWEVER IT LOOKS IN THE MORNING THEY WILL HAVE MASSIVE

  • IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKEY. THIS HAS NOT COME OUT OF NOWHERE."

  • MEANING IT WAS PLANNED. WE STILL DON'T KNOW.

  • THE SUGGESTION ñ IT DOESN'T SUGGEST THAT THE US DIDN'T

  • KNOW, BUT IT SUGGESTS THAT IT SURPRISED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE

  • WHO MIGHT HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF IT.

  • >> I WOULD CONSIDER IT SHOCKING IF THE US DIDN'T KNOW. ONE OF

  • THE TOP GENERALS HAS BEEN TAKEN

  • BY THE LEADERS OF THE COUP, SO THERE IS DEFINITELY A RIFT

  • WITHIN THE TURKISH MILITARY.

  • >> IT'S SHOCKING AND SURPRISING BECAUSE TURKEY HASN'T HAD A

  • MILITARY COUP SINCE 1980, BUT IF YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT IT IS

  • NOT THAT SHOCKING WHEN YOU

  • CONSIDER THAT TURKEY AMONG ALL PREDOMINANTLY MUSLIM COUNTRIES

  • HAS BEEN VERY VOCAL ABOUT

  • REMAINING SECULAR. EVEN THOUGH THE COUNTRY IS DIVIDED AMONGST

  • THOSE WHO SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT, OR MIGHT AGREE WITH THE MILITARY

  • COUP, THERE IS THIS NEED AND WANT TO BE SECULAR. ONE THING

  • THAT STOOD OUT TO ME WAS HOW THE FIRST THING THE PRESIDENT WANTED

  • TO DO WAS ASKED HIS SUPPORTERS TO GO OUT IN THE STREETS. HE HAS

  • BEEN SO HORRIFIC TOWARD

  • JOURNALISTS AND PROTESTERS. AS SOON AS HE NEEDS PROTESTERS FOR

  • HIS OWN AGENDA AND PURPOSES, HE TELLS THEM TO GO OUT ON THE

  • STREETS AND RISK THEIR OWN LIVES.

  • >> IT'S INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS FOR THEM TO GO OUT THERE. TO WHAT

  • YOU ARE SAYING ABOUT WHETHER THE U.S. MIGHT KNOW OR NOT, THE

  • STATEMENT THAT WAS PUT OUT BY THE COUP FORCES I THINK IS

  • INTERESTING. IT EXPLAINS THEIR REASSURANCE TO THE US. " TURKISH

  • ARMED FORCES OF ñ HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, THE RULE OF LAW ON

  • THE GENERAL SECURITY THAT HAS DAMAGED ALL INTERNATIONAL

  • AGREEMENTS ARE STILL VALID. WE HOPE ALL OUR GOOD RELATIONSHIPS

  • WITH ALL COUNTRIES WILL

  • CONTINUE."

  • >> THERE IS NO QUESTION WHAT THEY WANT, THEY WANT TO BE IN

  • CHARGE OF TURKEY AND GET RID OF

  • THE PRESIDENT AND CONTINUE THE ROLE THAT TURKEY HAD PRIOR TO

  • THE PRESIDENT. TO CENK'S POINT WE ARE NOT GOING TO KNOW IN THE

  • COMING DAYS, BECAUSE IF WE KNEW IT WASN'T BECAUSE THESE GUYS

  • CALLED JOHN KERRY. THERE IS NO QUESTION WHAT SIDE WE HAVE TO BE

  • ON, AND WE HAVE NO BIGGER ALLY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ISIS THAN

  • TURKEY. INCREDIBLY VALUABLE. THE NOTION THAT WE WOULD OFFICIALLY

  • RISK ñ THAT IS THE

  • WORST POSSIBLE OUTCOME IS A STRENGTHENED AND AN EMPOWERED

  • PRESIDENT. THE FLIPSIDE IS TO CENK'S POINT, THE NOTION THAT

  • THE CIA DIDN'T KNOW OF THIS ñ IT WOULD BE A FASCINATING

  • INTRIGUING STORY WHEN REVEALED.

  • >> LET ME CLARIFY THE PRESIDENT REFERENCED THE CIA BUT IN A

  • VEILED WAY. YOU KNOW HE IS NOT IN CHARGE, HE CLAIMS HE IS. IF

  • YOU REMEMBER ONE OF THE TACTICS THAT THE PRESIDENT WILL USE

  • AGAINST PROTESTERS IS FIREWATER. THEY WOULD PUT PEPPER SPRAY IN

  • THE WATER HOSES AND SPRAY THAT ON EVERYONE SO THEY WOULD GET

  • PEPPER SPRAY ALL OVER THEM, SO HE NORMALLY HATES PROTESTERS IN

  • THE STREETS. NOW HE IS BEGGING FOR PROTESTERS IN THE STREETS

  • WHICH MEANS HE IS NOT IN CHARGE. HE HAS LOST THE MEDIA ENTIRELY

  • AND HE HAD GREAT CONTROL OVER

  • THE MEDIA. YOU CAN TELL HE IS NOT IN CHARGE OF THE MEDIA

  • BECAUSE HE HAD TO USE A CELL PHONE AND FACE TIME TO MESSAGE

  • THE TURKISH PEOPLE. NO WAY THE PRESIDENT IS FACE TIMING IF HE

  • WAS ACTUALLY IN CHARGE. IF YOU ARE IN FAVOR OF PEACEFUL

  • RESOLUTION, YOU WANT THIS TO END EITHER WAY IMMEDIATELY. THE

  • WORST-CASE SCENARIO IS NEITHER SIDE WINS AND THEN WE'VE GOT

  • TANKS ALL OVER THE STREETS, ONE REPORT HAS AN F-16, TURKISH

  • MILITARY, SHOOTING DOWN A TURKISH MILITARY HELICOPTER.

  • TURKEY IS HEAVILY ARMED. IT IS

  • THE SECOND LARGEST ARMED NATION IN NATO. LET ME GIVE YOU WHAT I

  • KNOW ABOUT THE AMERICAN

  • INVOLVEMENT. THERE IS ANOTHER MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALIST WHO LIVES

  • INSIDE AMERICA. HE WAS DEEP ALLIES WITH ERDOGAN, THE

  • PRESIDENT, HAS BEEN IN POWER

  • SINCE 2003. THEY ARE BOTH FUNDAMENTALIST MUSLIMS. THAT IS

  • NOT FUNDAMENTALIST MUSLIMS AS YOU WOULD HAVE IN OTHER PLACES

  • OF THE MIDDLE EAST. AS WE HAVE THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT HERE IN

  • AMERICA, THEY ARE BASICALLY THE

  • MUSLIM RIGHT. THEY ARE REPUBLICANS, RIGHT WING IN THAT

  • SENSE.

  • >>HE IS THE MIKE PENCE OF TURKEY.

  • >>YES, HE IS NOT A RELIGIOUS LEADER. ERDOGAN IS NOT A

  • RELIGIOUS LEADER, BUT HE IS MORE OF A MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALIST

  • WITHIN THE DEMOCRACY OF TURKEY. PEOPLE ARE UNSURE IF HE TAINTED

  • THAT DEMOCRACY IN THOSE

  • ELECTIONS. THE GUY IN PENNSYLVANIA IS A RELIGIOUS

  • LEADER AND USED TO WORK WITH THE

  • PRESIDENT. AND THEY THINK HE HAS AN ALLIANCE WITH THE CIA. HE HAS

  • A COMPOUND IN PENNSYLVANIA,

  • CHARTER SCHOOLS ALL OVER AMERICA. WE DON'T OFTEN GIVE

  • FUNDAMENTALIST MUSLIMS CHARTER SCHOOLS TO TEACH OUR KIDS IN

  • AMERICA UNLESS YOU'VE GOT SOME SORT OF OKAY FROM THE US

  • GOVERNMENT. WHEN THOSE TWO GUYS THEN BROKE APART AND BEGAN AN

  • INTERNAL STRUGGLE FOR POWER IN TURKEY, A LOT OF THE POLICE USED

  • TO BE ON ONE SIDE, THEN THE PRESIDENT CAME IN WITH A POWER

  • PLAY. IT IS AN AMAZING POWER PLAY GOING ON. AT THAT BREAK, IT

  • APPEARS THAT THE AMERICAN

  • GOVERNMENT THOUGHT THE PRESIDENT IS OFF THE RESERVATION. THERE

  • ARE THINGS THAT HAPPEN BEHIND THE SCENES. IT APPEARED THAT

  • BEHIND THE SCENES THE U.S. WAS ON THE GUY IN PENNSYLVANIA'S

  • SIDE.

  • SO NOW HE PUT OUT A STATEMENT

  • SAYING IT WASN'T ME. IT WOULD BE ENORMOUSLY SURPRISING IF A

  • MILITARY, OBVIOUSLY VERY WELL ORGANIZED, OBVIOUSLY NOT AS

  • WELL-ORGANIZED AS THEY WANT TO

  • BE. THAT KIND OF MILITARY COUP DIDN'T ASK THE CIA, OR THE GUY

  • IN PENNSYLVANIA, OR THE AMERICAN

  • GOVERNMENT. BEN IS RIGHT, THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT WOULD NEVER

  • SAY IN PUBLIC. THIS HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKEY, FOR THE

  • MIDDLE EAST, AND FOR THE WHOLE

  • WORLD. IF I HAD TO GUESS, AND I AM GUESSING BECAUSE I DON'T

  • KNOW. I AM TELLING YOU WHAT WOULD NORMALLY HAPPEN, IF I HAD

  • TO GUESS I WOULD SAY THAT WE WERE ON THE SIDE OF THE COUP,

  • THE U.S. IS. BUT IF IT DOES NOT

  • WORK, IT IS CERTAINLY THE PRESIDENT WILL THINK THAT WE

  • ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE COUP AND WE WILL HAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE.

  • >> WHAT WE ARE HEARING IS THAT OBAMA HAD A MEETING WITH HIS

  • NATIONAL SECURITY STAFF. THEN THEY CAME OUT WITH THAT

  • STATEMENT. MEANING WHAT THEY HEARD.

  • >>ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE AT THIS POINT, AND

  • IT IS A COUP. THERE

  • ARE THREE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT

  • THIS CAN GO. THE COUP CONTINUES, THEY MANAGED TO WRANGLE ENOUGH

  • OF THE REST OF THE MILITARY AND

  • THE POLICE AND KEEP THE PEOPLE IN THE STREETS AT BAY, AND THEY

  • SEIZE POWER. IT HAPPENS RELATIVELY QUICKLY. BY THE

  • MORNING, BY THE NEXT DAY IT IS

  • OVER. A SECOND POSSIBILITY IS THE COUP DETERIORATES AND NOW

  • THERE ARE SOME REPORTS THAT IT

  • IS. AND THE OTHER PARTS OF THE MILITARY STEP IN ALONG WITH THE

  • POLICE AND CRUSH THEM. THE THIRD POSSIBILITY IS NEITHER SIDE

  • WINS. THAT IS PROBABLY THE WORST CASE SCENARIO. LOOK, I AM DEEPLY

  • SECULAR SO MY PROCLIVITIES ARE OBVIOUS. BUT IF THE TURKISH

  • MILITARY AND POLICE START FIGHTING ONE ANOTHER, AND IT

  • DOES NOT END, IF YOU THOUGHT THE MIDDLE EAST AND THAT REGION WAS

  • UNSTABLE BEFORE, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET.

THERE IS NOW A COUP IN TURKEY.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it