Rivals-Turned-Allies: Erdogan Sides With Reemerging Turkish Army

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Turkish armed forces that have ousted four civil governments since the 1960s are now reemerging as a great political power. The Turkish leader seems to have changed his views of the army as a threat to his rule and opted to join it instead, the report reads.

The Turkish generals have been successful in balancing Erdogan’s controversial policies. They restrained the leader from sending Turkish troops to Syria and pushed him away from a bloody military campaign against Kurdish insurgents. The military also protected Turkey’s close ties with Western governments that have been gradually turning away from Ankara.

“The Turkish military is the only agent that wants to put on the brakes and create checks-and-balances against Erdogan,” said Metin Gurcan, a former Turkish military officer who now works as an Istanbul-based security analyst.

Some political analysts suggest that restoration of the army’s influence in Turkey is a direct threat to the rule of President Erdogan.

The rumors that a military coup could take place in Turkey reached their heights in late March, when a bunch of Turkish media outlets reported that the US presidential administration was hatching plans to topple President Erdogan. But the Turkish military abruptly ended those “baseless” allegations, and claimed that “there can be no talk about any illegal action that is outside the command structure, or which compromises it.”

Moreover, Ahmet Davutoglu, after resigning as Prime Minister, said that the Turkish military is the guarantor of democracy in Turkey, “despite lots of regions [across the country] in crisis.”

“Whether it is the issue of terrorism within our borders or instabilities emerging out of Syria and Iraq, Turkish Armed Forces represented our country’s power and might.”

Earlier, an Istanbul court vindicated 236 suspects of plotting a coup in the country, including high profile military generals.