The aftermath of the coup attempted last Friday in Turkey was viewed by many as a triumph of democracy. After all, the military did attempt to overthrow the democratically elected president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the people rose up to stop it. Despite this, the complaints voiced by the military of Erdoğan’s authoritarian streak are supported by Erdoğan’s actions, particularly in the aftermath of the coup. Erdoğan has arrested thousands in the military and has fired further thousands from the education sector, the judiciary and the police, groups that had nothing to do with the coup. Clearly, Erdoğan is consolidating power following the coup, as one would expect him to do, but this egregious violation of due process and rule of law in Turkey is the largest threat to Turkish democracy since the country's inception in 1923.
The coup attempt in Turkey was justified by the military as an attempt to save Turkish democracy. They felt the government had hurt the "rule of law" in the country. This, of course, is a serious accusation; however, it is not without its evidence. Erdoğan has quite a lengthy record of accusations of authoritarianism, ranging from silencing a critical free press to manipulating what is supposed to be a free and impartial judiciary for his own means. This, in the opinion of the military, was just cause to attempt to rein in what they viewed as a rogue and out of control President Erdoğan.
The failure of this coup has left democracy in Turkey in a dire situation, as Erdoğan now has just cause to solidify his power. So far, Erdoğan has had 6,000 military personnel arrested, 9,000 police officers fired, 3,000 judges removed and 15,000 education staff suspended. This unprecedented purge is just the beginning, unfortunately. Erdoğan is considering using the death penalty against those he believes are responsible for the coup, people he has referred to as "a tumor."
Erdoğan has also insisted that the moderate Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen and his followers are responsible for the coup. Gülen preaches a relatively moderate version of Sunni Islam. Gülen moved to the U.S. in 1999, and has since had a falling out with Erdoğan’s party, the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (Justice and Development Party). Erdoğan has had Gülen supporters arrested in the past, and he now suggests the coup is an attempt by his followers to usurp his power. He demands that Gülen, who is referred to by the Turkish Prime Minister as "the terrorist chief," be extradited from the United States. While no evidence suggests that Gülen or his followers had anything to do with the coup, Erdoğan’s insistence that they have has created a false enemy for the Turkish people to fight, one that will simply shore up even more power for Erdoğan.
Authoritarianism often comes under the guise of democracy, public will and security, as Hitler, Putin and many others have made clear. Erdoğan appears to be following in their footsteps, working to turn Turkey into his own personal fiefdom. Not only is this a threat to Turkish democracy, but it is a threat to Middle Eastern and European stability. Turkey controls the Bosphorus, serves as a strategic counterbalance to Russia, Iran and the IS in the region and is a strong NATO member. The fall of Turkish democracy could spark instability worse than the Arab Spring and could bring about the fall of one of the few countries working to hold a crumbling Middle East together. A stand for Turkish democracy is a stand against Erdoğan.