What's My Take On The Coup In Turkey

WNU Editor: This is what I know so far. Martial law has been declared. The military generals appointed by President Erdogan have been arrested. The major broadcasters are now occupied by the military. Social media is now down. The soldiers are everywhere. The major party headquarters for the government are now surrounded by the military. President Erdogan is (apparently) appealing to foreign governments for help. The U.S. and everyone else have been caught by surprise with these developments.

My prediction .... President Erdogan has no friends abroad, and they are not going to get actively involved in helping him. They will stay neutral, and treat this as an internal Turkish affair. The impact on the war against the Islamic State is going to profound. U.S. law is very clear .... U.S. troops cannot stay in a country if a democratic government has been overthrown by a coup. How the U.S. will justify its continuing military presence in Turkey is probably going to be a sight to see in the next few days. For the Syrian rebels .... this is a serious blow. For the Kurds who are now waging war against the Turkish government/military .... they will probably stay back and see what happens next. If President Erdogan is not in custody in the next day or two .... he may have a chance to stay in power, especially if his supporters .... and he has many of them .... hit the streets. But if he is arrested, and the expected demonstrations fizzle out .... he will be out of power.

On a side note .... somewhere in the Kremlin .... Putin is smiling.