Democracy and the coup
Our media and politicians are waxing eloquent about how the Turkish people – the ‘awam’ – have saved and strengthened democracy. The assumption is flawed on two counts: a) that…
Erdogan’s counter-coup
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), including the opposition (except for the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party), turned…
A non-virtuous civil-military symbiosis
As individuals go, Army Chief Raheel Sharif is an exceptional wartime general – the successes of the campaign against the TTP and its member organisations, as well as its many…
Not a coup but filling a governance vacuum
With an increasingly public persona of the COAS, many are referring to a ‘soft’ coup having taken place – some gleefully, others with a woeful shrug of inevitability. After all,…
Erdogan’s mass appeal saved him on coup night
More than his security forces, what saved Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the night of the coup attempt was the extraordinary devotion the charismatic strongman inspires among his followers.…
The failed Turkish coup
Many reasons, some genuine others not genuine, are given as to why Turkish military coup failed. I have my own. This is in addition to the reasons that; 1) Erdogan…
How (and why) not to stage a coup
With rumours of possible coups in Turkey in the air for some time, it is surprising that the night of 15/16 July came as a surprise. When a few prestigious…
Turkey’s bungled putsch: a strangely 20th century coup
It was a strangely 20th century coup, defeated by 21st century technology and people power. When a self-styled military "Peace Council" tried to topple Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his…
Lessons of a failed coup
The spectacle of unarmed civilians blocking army tanks, overpowering soldiers and forcing them to the ground in the streets seemed surreal. It was a rare show of people’s power defeating…
Towards a quasi military-civilian regime
he prime minister is embroiled in a crisis every other day as real power slips away from him and shifts to a powerful and consistent space-grabber. Are we witnessing a…
