“Most military coups are done in the name of democracy against democracy.” These words spoken by the late Edward Galeano very fittingly encapsulate the recent coup attempt in Turkey. General Akin Ozturk and his fellow army commanders that led the coup undoubtedly believed they were rescuing Turkey from President Erdogan’s increasingly tight grip over a once-secular Turkey. Throughout his 14-year reign, Erdogan has consistently decreased the Turkish army’s influence over Turkish politics. Even more so, his attempts to rewrite the country’s constitution to give himself more opportunities to further consolidate power definitely played a role in the generals’ attempt to overthrow him. On July 15, Turkey was faced with two possible scenarios: One was allowing for the coup to succeed and ushering Turkey into a period of military rule with false promises of transitioning to democracy. The second – which was the situation that ultimately materialized – was Erdogan thwarting the coup attempt and further tightening his grip over Turkey while feigning an image as the beacon and savior of democracy. The fate of Turkish democracy was doomed the night the coup was even attempted, regardless of the outcome. Had…
With Erdogan or the Army, Turkish Democracy Was Doomed the Moment Tanks Hit the Streets
July 19, 2016
