Failed coup

NATO's silence on the purge of Turkey's military carries risks for all

Turkey's massive purge of its military since the country's alleged coup attempt in July has undermined NATO's integrated military command (IMC) and hiked tensions within the alliance, sources within the alliance state.

Moreover, NATO's official silence about Ankara's slide toward an authoritarian, if not dictatorial, state now threatens to damage the alliance's credibility, say allied insiders and diplomats, industry officials, and purged Turkish officers who dare not return to their country for fear of show-trial prosecution.

"We need to change the relationship with Turkey," a NATO source told IHS Jane's on 12 December. Noting that the purge and Ankara's zeal in pursuing it has slowed down or complicated matters "across many areas of planning and co-ordination at NATO", the source said. "The situation has become very difficult in the last few months - a real mess. Shouldn't we be pushing Washington to bring Turkey to account on these issues? Yet nothing's happening."