Coup Underway in Turkey

[Paul Rigby]

Is this a different Graham Fuller than the writer? Here's a blog from him about Turkey and the "coup," and it doesn't sound supportive of the "coup" at all.

http://grahamefuller.com/turkeys-lose-lo...situation/

Ah, I see. He doesn't believe that Gulen is behind the "coup" in this blog:

http://grahamefuller.com/islamists-at-war-in-turkey/

and therefore he must be discredited.

Here is a quote from that last blog written by Fuller:

(Full disclosure: It is on public record that I wrote a letter as a private citizen in connection with Gülen's US green card application in 2006 stating that I did not believe that Gülen constituted a security threat to the US. This came shortly after I had finished a book (The Future of Political Islam) that involved extensive travel and interviews with Islamists around the world. In that context I found Hizmet to be remarkably moderate, tolerant, non-violent, open to dialog, a strong proponent of education as the means to empower Muslims in a globalizing future, and a social rather than political movement. But in the years of Bush's Global War on Terrorism many neoconservatives in Washington were agitating to deport Gülenamong many hundreds of other Muslim clericsas a security risk to the US. I found the charge baseless. Indeed, I still believe that HIzmet as a movement represents one of the most encouraging faces of contemporary Islam in the world. I wanted the FBI to at least be aware of my considered personal opinion as they considered his case. Since then enemies of Gülen and many conspiratorial-minded Turks decided to connect the dots: the fact that I was a CIA official (I had retired from CIA 18 years before), and that I had spoken out in defense of Gülen, constituted clear "proof" that that Gülen is a CIA agent.)

So the attack on him by this particular writer (Mr. Ertem) must be viewed in that context.

Edit: After reading some of his blogs, I wouldn't characterize him as a "neo-con" (in the US sense of the word) but more of a "cynic."

I wouldn't take Fuller at face value in his public postings, Drew, both for the reasons well explained in Peter & DG's responses, and because there is a rich tradition of CIA men assuming masks of sweet reasonableness & disinterestedness in public writings entirely at odds with their professional ruthlessness. The name of George Carver sprang to mind as I read your apologia for Fuller.