Erdogan Has Nobody to Blame for the Coup but Himself

This is not what President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meant when he said he wanted to transform Turkey. The tanks and gunfire in the streets of Ankara mark the fifth time since 1960 that the Turkish military has attempted to stage a coup. Even if this one proves unsuccessful — and the elected government now seems likely to come out on top — it calls into question the stability of Erdogan’s political movement. How exactly did a leader who began his rule 13 years ago with such promise derail so badly?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan waves to the crowd following a funeral service for a victim of the thwarted coup in Istanbul, Turkey, July 17, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) swept to power on Nov. 3, 2002. The AKP won 34 percent of the vote, not because one-third of Turkish voters necessarily supported Erdogan’s conservative religious and social positions, but rather because they wanted change. The previous years had seen repeated corruption scandals, banking crises, and a precipitous decline in the value of the Turkish lira against the U.S. dollar.

Erdogan was initially banned from holding public office because of a trumped-up religious incitement conviction during his time as mayor of Istanbul, but he nonetheless promised good, clean governance and a fresh start. Many Turks who were fed up with the establishment decided to give the AKP a try.

This article originally appeared in Foreign Policy. Read the rest here.