ISTANBUL // Confronted with a wave of accusations that range from coup plots to assassination plans directed against high-profile critics, the Turkish military has ended its long-standing policy of stonewalling any attempt to investigate members of the armed forces from outside.
When Gen Ilker Basbug, Turkey's chief of general staff, ordered his subordinates to open a secret archive to an investigating judge last month, that decision marked a key moment in the transition towards more civilian control over the military, observers say. The balance of power in Ankara is tipping towards the civilians.
"We are not hiding anything, open the door," said the general's order, according to media reports that are understood to have had the blessing of the armed forces. Kadir Kayan, a judge in Ankara, has been going through documents in the "cosmic chamber" of the military, an archive containing secret files, for more than two weeks. Mr Kayan is investigating accusations that two military officers planned an assassination attempt on Bulent Arinc, a deputy prime minister and outspoken critic of the military. As a country that has seen four governments pushed from power by the military since 1960, Turkey developed "a structure we call military guardianship" over the years, Ali Bayramoglu, a prominent columnist, told yesterday's Vatan newspaper. In that structure, the military never fully recognised the leadership of civilian governments, he added. But recent events signalled that those days are over. "We see that this is changing step by step," Bayramoglu said.
Abdullah Gul, Turkey's president, has also expressed his confidence that Turkey had overcome the time of military coups and threats. The mere idea that the military could stage a coup today was a sign of "disrespect" against the army, Mr Gul told the news channel CNN-Turk in a recent interview. "What we see in Turkey today is normalisation."
Gen Basbug has had to deal with a series of reports about illegal activities inside the armed forces in recent months. Among other things, prosecutors in Istanbul are investigating whether officers in the general staff itself drew up a plan to destabilise the religiously conservative government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister. Several former generals have been standing trial as members of the so-called Ergenekon organisation, a nationalist group that prosecutors claim plotted to overthrow Mr Erdogan. Critics, who include members of the armed forces and the judiciary, regard Mr Erdogan as an Islamist radical bent on destroying Turkey's secular order.
Last year, parliament passed a law that gives civilian prosecutors and judges the last word in cases involving coup plotters from military ranks. The reform is seen as a key piece of legislation in efforts to open up the armed forces to more civilian control, an important requirement that Turkey has to fulfil before it can join the European Union. Before the reform, civilian courts rarely dealt with cases involving officers, a practice that often resulted in suspects being cleared quickly by military judges. That system was part of what Bayramoglu calls the "autonomous place" of the military inside the Turkish state. Other efforts to strengthen civilian oversight over the military and to rein in the political role of the generals in recent years involved a reform of the national security council in Ankara, a body that used to be the most important vehicle of the military to influence or pressure governments. Today, the council, although still an important institution, is regarded as an advisory body.
While Gen Basbug and other top commanders sometimes complain about what they see as efforts to undermine the public standing of the military, they have not made any open attempts to openly resist changes that the government and the public see as steps to strengthen democracy. Mr Erdogan and Gen Basbug have managed to keep channels of communication open between the government and the military leadership, a development that has helped to keep tensions down during the transition process.
At a meeting at the military's headquarters last week, Mr Erdogan and Gen Basbug agreed to strengthen co-operation. "Do not expect any disharmony between institutions" of government and military, the Hurriyet daily yesterday quoted an unnamed government member as saying. The newspaper drew attention to the fact that, after last week's meeting of Mr Erdogan and Gen Basbug, the general staff cancelled its regular press briefings that often dealt with political issues. "It seems we are not going to see many more speeches by the military that enter the political sphere," Sukru Kucuksahin, a columnist, wrote in Hurriyet.
But even though Turkey's political and military leaders have succeeded in minimalising open confrontations about the change taking place in the balance of power between them, the process of stripping generals in Ankara of privileges that are regarded as incompatible with EU norms is far from over.
In a major report published in November, the EU commission said there were still important areas where Turkey's armed forces acted outside civilian control. Laws giving the military the right to take action without permission by civilian authorities in certain circumstances were still in effect, the EU said. There was also a lack of parliamentary control over military expenditure, the report said.
tseibert@thenational.ae
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Company%20Profile
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
How to help or find other cats to adopt
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
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TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors
Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km
Price: from Dh199,900
On sale: now
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.