I met my ex-wife in Istanbul January 2001 according to the visa in my old passport. Actually we met on the internet about a year earlier. She's a Russian-American now working in Sacramento for the state of California. At the moment she's visiting her mother and family in Crimea.
People are people pretty much anywhere. I met a lot of very friendly Turks (most working near the low budget hotel I could afford to stay at) just a stone's throw away from the Hagia Sophia. Especially at one restaurant where I got to know the owner pretty well. I wasn't there to talk politics but we did touch on the subject.
I also came across some dangerous people, but none that I couldn't deal with. Istanbul is a tourist city and they like American tourist money. Actually they like tourist money regardless of what part of the world it comes from... but they don't like Russians.
I have no knowledge of the factors in the recent coup attempt. Turkey is in a very strategically important geography as it has been throughout history. At one time they had a massive chain stretching between Asia and Europe to prevent sea passage during the days of cannon and castles.
They are in NATO, but are not entirely loyal to it. It's a good place for spies to trade secrets... except they really don't like Russians.
The people like Americans, but it's government is not it's people. We can say that about America itself these days. Laura Ingraham pointed out the problem when she called out the media to 'do it's job.'
Now we have to worry about the security of our military secrets. What about our people at Incirlik Air Base?
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