: Pay attention to this, because they mean it. The Turkish Army issued a statement vowing to keep true to its Kemalist roots. The Turkish Army intends to fight Islamism. It will also continue to oppose Kurdish separatism. An AFP report included this quote from retiring Chief of Staff General Huseyin Kivrikoglu: "Everybody must know that the Turkish armed forces will not tolerate the use of the opportunities of democracy by the enemies of the system as a means to dynamite the basic principles of our state...Even though significant progress has been achieved in this field, the separatist and reactionary threat is potentially continuing. All measures should be taken against the continuation of the separatist and reactionary threats under the masks of politicization." Note the vocabulary. The Turkish military prefers to refer to Islamism as reactionary, which it is. Is this a coup threat if an Islamist party were to take power in Ankara (even in a democratic election) and begin to dismantle Turkeys secular institutions? Yes, it most certainly is. (Austin Bay)