Zeynep Çağlıyan İçener
Abstract
On the night of July 15, the Republic of Turkey was attacked in the most treacherous way ever. The FETÖ- linked army officers attempted to overthrow the elected president, Erdoğan, and the AK Party government. However, the July 15 was not a mere military coup. It was the manifestation of the parallel structuring within the state that has recently become the top-priority issue of Turkey. This paper aims to investigate the unprecedented nature of the July 15 incident and its heroic aftermath. Unexpectedly, international community failed to see the big picture regarding the coup attempt. This study hence concentrates on the factors behind this failure. The influence of FETÖ diaspora network in the West over generating the discourse on Turkey is significant in that sense. The study problematizes the usage of false analogies as a part of this manipulation process. The paper concludes that contrary to the efforts of FETÖ and its international collaborators, New Turkey is in the process of its formation and this time with the historic opportunity for creating a plural and truly democratic republic that should not be missed.
Keywords
July 15, military coup, Fethullah Gülen, FETÖ, New Turkey, democracy