Hakan Koni, Nurhidayu Rosli, Siti Aishah Mohamad Zin (NKU): History of Islamic Political Movements in Turkey. Nick Danforth (Georgetown): The Ottoman Empire from 1923 to Today: In Search of a Usable Past. Ataturk versus Erdogan: Elliot Ackerman on Turkey’s long struggle. Dani Rodrik on Turkey’s baffling coup. “We thought coups were in the past”: Patrick Kingsley on how Turkey was caught unaware. Turkey has had lots of coups — here’s why this one failed. Why Turkey’s coup failed: Zack Beauchamp interviews Naunihal Singh, author of Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups. Can you really pull off a coup d’etat these days? Edward Luttwak on why Turkey’s coup d’etat failed — and why Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s craven excesses made it so inevitable. Yuksel Sezgin on how Erdogan’s anti-democratic government made Turkey ripe for unrest.
Turkey’s Erdogan always feared a coup — he was proved right. Turkey was already undergoing a slow-motion coup — by Erdogan, not the army. Chaos plays into Erdogan’s hands after a career shaped by coups (and more and more). Soner Cagaptay on how the coup attempt is bad news for Turkey’s democracy. The purge begins in Turkey. Erdogan expands post-coup crackdown to target judges, key military leader. Ayse Kadioglu on the coup d’etat attempt as Turkey’s Reichstag fire? We are witnessing the consolidation of a new form of authoritarianism with a populist streak. Ertug Tombus: “From a failed military coup to an on-going civilian one. Democracy is not an option for Turkey again”. Kathy Gilsinan on Turkey’s putsch and the democratic dilemma: When the military tries to overthrow a strongman, who is there to root for?
Conspiracy theorists claim power grab attempt was faked by Erdogan. Fethullah Gulen says the Turkey coup may have been “staged” by Erdogan regime. U.S. would consider extradition request for exiled cleric Turkey blames for failed coup. Dylan Matthews on the Gulen movement, explained. Claire Sadar (BU): The Gulen Movement: A Religious Player in Turkish Civil Society. Kim Shively (Kutztown): Pragmatic Politics: The Gulen Movement and the AKP. You can download The Gulen Media Empire, ed. Lea Nocera.
The trouble in Turkey is far from over: The coup failed, but serious domestic and international crises may be coming. Turkey interrupts U.S. air missions against ISIS at major base. Nathanael Bennett (Oxford): Turkey and the United States: Friends or Foes? Tarik Oguzlu (Antalya): Turkey and the West. Shashank Joshi on why Turkey is vital to the interests of the West.
