So this is how a dictatorship is created.

[Ferno]

Now before anyone busts my balls on this, I know; I know - I swore not to post anything political and here I am, breaking that rule of mine. You can count this as an episode of self-awareness. At least I'm man enough to admit I'm doing this.

Onto the topic at hand.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39617700

51.37 voted yes to expanding his presidential powers. This is how a dictatorship is formed. And the reasoning behind it - reaplacing the parlimentary system with an executive presidency will modernize the country. Sorry buckos, we know how that turns out. Some of us pay attention to the lessons of history. So, anyone want to take any guesses on how quickly human rights abuses and atrocities start happening?

[callmeslick]

human rights abuses to go around there already. This won't help. With Turkey, historically, the military will end up intervening.

[Ferno]

[Tunnelcat]

Erdogan is just following in the footsteps of Vladimir Putin. It's sad that dictatorships and autocracies are now a trend in the world. Slick, the military already tried to intervene not so long ago. It failed miserably and only encouraged Erdogan to take more power.

[callmeslick]

mark my words, they aren't done yet.

[Tunnelcat]

Like minds think alike. Democracy is soooo overated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dem ... d7d616036c

[Ferno]

I'd rather not bring trump into this TC, thanks.

[Tunnelcat]

Sorry Ferno. It was just too stupefying of a deed to ignore. I'll say no more.

[woodchip]

Like minds think alike. Democracy is soooo overated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dem ... d7d616036c

So how is this different from Obama asking Mubarak to step down? By doing so Egypt wound up being run be the Muslim Brotherhood. Or not giving a words of encouragement to the Iranian students nascent uprising?

[Tunnelcat]

Remember woodchip, this new Turkish Islamist dictator is now a member of NATO, and he hates the Kurds, which WE are using to help get rid of ISIS in Iraq. He's also a nutcase.

[Ferno]

aw ★■◆●, here we go.

[Tunnelcat]

How did you expect it to go Ferno? We've got Trump congratulating Erdogan on his "victory" despite the rigged election, aka power grab, AND Erdogan's horrid human rights record. In fact, Trump's human rights record with his current foreign policy is downright dismal. Either Trump is an idiot, or he's being cold and calculating, neither description is appealing. Woodchip, quit bringing up Obama and what he did as some sort of excuse for Trump's behavior. I didn't agree with a lot of Obama's foreign policy either and besides, he's long gone. Trump is now president. He's in command, unfortunately. All decisions and policies are now his and his alone, also unfortunately.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/op ... 100665742/

Then we've got the British selling military arms to Erdogan AFTER that failed military coup, so they're essentially propping him up for profit as well since Erdogan has pretty much purged the military of any dissenters.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... ghts-abuse

[Spidey]

I think it might be a little difficult to turn down a NATO member when they ask for weapons.

[Tunnelcat]

But what if that member of NATO, Turkey in this instance, has a horrible human rights record against their own people and doesn't like certain allies that happen to live within their borders that WE support, namely the Kurds? Doesn't that go against everything NATO stands for and our own self interests?

[Ferno]

How did you expect it to go Ferno?

I expected us to talk about this without dragging in trump (and subsequently the 'obama did this' bull★■◆●).

★■◆● it.

[Tunnelcat]

Trump stepped right into the middle of it and not in a productive way.