The tragedy of Turkey's attempted coup
Story highlights
- An attempted military coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took place late Friday
- Jenny White: Friday's attempted coup 'took Turkey out of Europe and placed it squarely in the Middle East'
Jenny White is a professor of Turkish studies at the Stockholm University Institute for Turkish Studies and the author of 'Muslim Nationalism and the New Turks.' The views expressed are her own.
(CNN)Until
Friday afternoon, Turkey remained a competent and stable, if
problematic, country that served as a buffer between Europe and the
imploding Middle East and a partner for the United States. It suffered
from terrorist attacks like European countries, and shared a world where
solidarity could be demonstrated by Facebook posts and projecting the Turkish flags on national monuments.
That changed with Friday's coup attempt.
Jenny White
The
military action, the results of which are still unclear, took Turkey
out of Europe and placed it squarely in the Middle East. It tore away
the country's stability, replacing polarization with what could end up
being outright civil war, whether the coup succeeds or not.
All
this adds yet another conflict to those already blooming like unholy
flowers on Turkish ground: ISIS suicide attacks; renewed fighting with
the Kurdish separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); wholesale destruction of Kurdish towns by Turkey's security forces, which have been given immunity;
not to mention the ongoing low-level violence that infects Turkey's
society, especially targeting women. Turkey can no longer be a buffer
against violence; it has become a sacrifice on its own altar.
People take to the streets during clashes with military forces in Istanbul Friday.
As
a result, the reality is that Turkey's usefulness as a "safe" haven for
Syrian refugees is now in doubt, destabilizing the already morally suspect EU pact that provides money to Turkey in return for keeping hundreds of thousands of refugees.
Meanwhile,
Turkey's descent into what is likely to be a government witch hunt for
"putschists" and massive violent reprisals means more anger, more
polarization and a destabilized population that is more likely to seek
protection from outside.
Helmet and vests lay on the Bosphorous Bridge on Saturday.
Groups
like ISIS will likely capitalize on this disenchantment to seek more
recruits inside Turkey. From there, they will be able to pass to Europe,
just as jihadis in past years had moved through Turkey on their way to
Syria as the Turkish government turned a blind eye.
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and ISIS and
other jihadis were fighting Kurdish militants, Turkey's biggest bugaboo
that blinded it to all other dangers.
The
United States and opposition parties within Turkey disapproved of
Friday's attempted coup. But if the ruling AKP (Justice and Development
Party), led by President Erdogan, neuters it, as it appears at the time
of writing to have done, we can expect President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to
use it as an excuse to ruthlessly crush what thin spine of opposition
remains, breaking the back of the military once and for all and
arresting -- or worse -- all manner of perceived and real "traitors."
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan
leaves a polling booth after casting his vote in Turkey's 26th general
election at a polling station in Istanbul on November 1, 2015.
Hide Caption
10 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Romanian
President Klaus Werner Iohannis, right, and Erdogan walk together
during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in
Ankara, Turkey, on March 23, 2016.
Hide Caption
11 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan delivers a speech during his visit to the Turkish War Colleges Command in Istanbul on March 28, 2016.
Hide Caption
12 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan,
right, kicks a soccer ball while Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul
watches at Besiktas soccer club's new Vodafone Arena on its opening day
in Istanbul on April 10, 2016.
Hide Caption
13 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan,
right, shakes hands with King Salman of Saudi Arabia after the Saudi
monarch received Turkey's highest state medal during a ceremony at the
presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on April 12, 2016.
Hide Caption
14 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan,
center, chairs the meeting of the 65th Cabinet of Turkey at the
presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on May 25, 2016.
Hide Caption
15 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan, seventh from the left, attends the Kinaliada Corvette Ceremony at Pendik Naval Shipyard in Istanbul on June 18, 2016.
Hide Caption
16 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan,
right, attends an Iftar dinner during his visit to the Tank Battalion
campus in the Cizre district of Sirnak, Turkey, on June 25, 2016.
Hide Caption
17 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
From
left, U.S. President Barack Obama, France's President Francois
Hollande, Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel take their
positions for a photo ahead of a working dinner at the presidential
palace during the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland, on July 8, 2016.
Hide Caption
18 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks on CNN Turk via a FaceTime call in Istanbul
on Friday, July 15, 2016, after members of the country's military
attempted to overthrow the government.
Hide Caption
1 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan
addresses people gathered at his palace for Iftar -- the meal eaten
after sunset during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan -- in Ankara,
Turkey, on June 27, 2016.
Hide Caption
2 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan
oversees the rescue efforts in the eastern province of Bingol on May 1,
2003, following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Turkish
region.
Hide Caption
3 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Russian
President Vladimir Putin, left, and Erdogan wear helmets in Durusu
village near Turkey's northern city of Samsun, on November 17, 2005,
during the inauguration ceremony for the major trans-Black Sea gas
pipeline Blue Stream. The pipeline runs from Russia to Turkey.
Hide Caption
4 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan
addresses the media after a meeting with his deputies at his ruling
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters in Ankara, Turkey,
on May 1, 2007. Erdogan unveiled a reform package, including having
future presidents elected by popular vote instead of by parliament.
Hide Caption
5 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Britain's
Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan,
gives a David Beckham signed soccer ball to a Turkish boy during at a
garden party held for her birthday at the British Embassy in Ankara,
Turkey, on May 16, 2008. It was the Queen's first visit to Turkey in 37
years.
Hide Caption
6 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
U.S.
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Erdogan during a meeting in
the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on December 7, 2009.
Hide Caption
7 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan,
his wife Emine, his grandchildren and Istanbul Metropolitan
Municipality Mayor Kadir Topbas, left, greet the crowd at a presidential
election rally in Istanbul on August 3, 2014.
Hide Caption
8 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan
attends a swearing in ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, on August 28, 2014.
Erdogan was sworn in as Turkey's 12th president at a ceremony in
parliament, cementing his position as the country's most powerful modern
leader.
Hide Caption
9 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan
leaves a polling booth after casting his vote in Turkey's 26th general
election at a polling station in Istanbul on November 1, 2015.
Hide Caption
10 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Romanian
President Klaus Werner Iohannis, right, and Erdogan walk together
during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in
Ankara, Turkey, on March 23, 2016.
Hide Caption
11 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan delivers a speech during his visit to the Turkish War Colleges Command in Istanbul on March 28, 2016.
Hide Caption
12 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan,
right, kicks a soccer ball while Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul
watches at Besiktas soccer club's new Vodafone Arena on its opening day
in Istanbul on April 10, 2016.
Hide Caption
13 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan,
right, shakes hands with King Salman of Saudi Arabia after the Saudi
monarch received Turkey's highest state medal during a ceremony at the
presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on April 12, 2016.
Hide Caption
14 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan,
center, chairs the meeting of the 65th Cabinet of Turkey at the
presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on May 25, 2016.
Hide Caption
15 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan, seventh from the left, attends the Kinaliada Corvette Ceremony at Pendik Naval Shipyard in Istanbul on June 18, 2016.
Hide Caption
16 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan,
right, attends an Iftar dinner during his visit to the Tank Battalion
campus in the Cizre district of Sirnak, Turkey, on June 25, 2016.
Hide Caption
17 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
From
left, U.S. President Barack Obama, France's President Francois
Hollande, Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel take their
positions for a photo ahead of a working dinner at the presidential
palace during the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland, on July 8, 2016.
Hide Caption
18 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks on CNN Turk via a FaceTime call in Istanbul
on Friday, July 15, 2016, after members of the country's military
attempted to overthrow the government.
Hide Caption
1 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan
addresses people gathered at his palace for Iftar -- the meal eaten
after sunset during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan -- in Ankara,
Turkey, on June 27, 2016.
Hide Caption
2 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan
oversees the rescue efforts in the eastern province of Bingol on May 1,
2003, following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Turkish
region.
Hide Caption
3 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Russian
President Vladimir Putin, left, and Erdogan wear helmets in Durusu
village near Turkey's northern city of Samsun, on November 17, 2005,
during the inauguration ceremony for the major trans-Black Sea gas
pipeline Blue Stream. The pipeline runs from Russia to Turkey.
Hide Caption
4 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan
addresses the media after a meeting with his deputies at his ruling
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters in Ankara, Turkey,
on May 1, 2007. Erdogan unveiled a reform package, including having
future presidents elected by popular vote instead of by parliament.
Hide Caption
5 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Britain's
Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan,
gives a David Beckham signed soccer ball to a Turkish boy during at a
garden party held for her birthday at the British Embassy in Ankara,
Turkey, on May 16, 2008. It was the Queen's first visit to Turkey in 37
years.
Hide Caption
6 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
U.S.
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Erdogan during a meeting in
the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on December 7, 2009.
Hide Caption
7 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan,
his wife Emine, his grandchildren and Istanbul Metropolitan
Municipality Mayor Kadir Topbas, left, greet the crowd at a presidential
election rally in Istanbul on August 3, 2014.
Hide Caption
8 of 18
Photos: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan
attends a swearing in ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, on August 28, 2014.
Erdogan was sworn in as Turkey's 12th president at a ceremony in
parliament, cementing his position as the country's most powerful modern
leader.
Hide Caption
9 of 18
The
coup plotters' manifesto reportedly stated that they stepped in
because, among other things, the president and government have created
an autocracy that made the legal system unworkable. This much is true --
that over the past five years, the ruling party has systematically
throttled the independence of state institutions, the media, education,
civil society, and recently two of the highest courts in the land. In short, the AKP has been dismantling Turkey's democratic walls brick by brick.
And
this is not the first time Turkey has been faced with a coup attempt.
The country has a history of coups in which the military brought down
governments they thought were too autocratic, too inept, or too
religious in an attempt to press the democratic reset button. Yet since
the AKP came to power in 2004, it has tried to muzzle the army through a
series of court cases that jailed hundreds of officers, including generals. In 2011, Turkey's top military commanders resigned, saying that their soldiers were demoralized and the commanders could no longer do their jobs.
Turkish soldiers on the streets.
The officers were later released,
and the military still remains one of the most trusted institutions in
the country. But it is not the same military, nor the same citizenry as
in the past. In former coups, the population was cowed into accepting,
or willingly went along with, martial law. Institutions, while corrupted
or closed down under martial law, remained intact, to be repopulated in
the next election.
This
time, thousands of Erdogan supporters heeded his call to take to the
streets. They threw themselves in front of tanks and cornered terrified
looking soldiers as minarets called for jihad. Yet ultimately, whether
the coup succeeds or not, this brings the prospect of civil war closer
-- and heightens the likelihood of a lost generation before Turkey can
rebuild the image of itself. It is a dramatic departure from just five
years ago, when the country had earned the respect and admiration of the
world.
Friday's tragedy is largely
self-inflicted by a government that has been willing to trade in a
functioning democracy for dictatorial power. Ironically, it seems likely
to use a failed coup to further that goal.
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