{"id":352555,"date":"2017-09-11T18:05:47","date_gmt":"2017-09-11T18:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=352555"},"modified":"2017-11-10T11:58:34","modified_gmt":"2017-11-10T11:58:34","slug":"ironically-erdogan-has-done-exactly-what-the-failed-coup-wanted-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/09\/ironically-erdogan-has-done-exactly-what-the-failed-coup-wanted-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Ironically, Erdogan has done exactly what the failed coup wanted to do"},"content":{"rendered":"
Some conspiracy theorists think Erdogan himself was behind the coup \u2013 indeed, that is Gulen\u2019s contention. Yet the reality is more straightforward: he has seized an unexpected opportunity<\/p>\n
Turkey has remained in a state of emergency since the failed coup\u00a0Murad Sezer\/Reuters<\/p>\n
If President Erdogan is to be believed,\u00a0last year\u2019s failed coup in Turkey<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0was an attempt by his erstwhile ally, Fethullah Gulen \u2013 a conservative Islamist like him \u2013 to overthrow the Government and do away with the Constitution and National Assembly. Gulen, it should be said, denies that he was in any way involved.<\/p>\n Still, while Turkey has had a\u00a0chequered history<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0on human rights \u2013 particularly with respect to the Kurds \u2013 it was a functioning democracy with a Constitution protecting fundamental rights, and a relatively independent judiciary to provide some counterweight to executive excess. Even though suspicions about Erdogan\u2019s penchant for power had been gathering for some time, it was nonetheless a relief to most in Turkey that the coup failed within hours. And although there was considerable loss of life \u2013 about 300 died \u2013 it could have been much worse.<\/p>\n The irony, however, is that what followed the\u00a0attempted coup<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/a>has gravely damaged the institutions and constitutional framework that the plotters themselves sought to sweep away.<\/p>\n