I wouldnt call Turkey very succesful either but im not wishing for a Junta, what i want is that the military takes a more active role in Turkish politics again as Turkish nation is a traditionally militaristc one where the military always had a say in politics from even Ottoman times and before that.
Back then at least there was rule of law, the terrorist were contained, the borders protected and the foreign tools like feto were dealt with, it was TSK that ensured that the state could overcome every crisis without having to bend in Foreign Policy since its military was a serious deterrence.
But now all of that is gone, Erdogan and his buddies did what no outsider could do and destroyed the biggest insurance of the republic of Turkey.
Brother, turkish military plays a role today. Who is Erdogans defence minister? A General. Of course, in any country, there needs to be a symbiotic relationship between the civilian gov and the military in a sense that civilian gov takes military/inteligence assasments and input into decision making. I think that what we are seeing now is exactly that. Military shouldn be a power broker, or dominant force in politics. You have you own history with such disasters, where military branches became to powerful then the Sultnans. I read great academic paper back then on why Ottoman state didnt modernize its military in time, short answer is, powerfull military elite who didnt want to lose their status and power if these reorganization reforms took place. Janissaries will againt it. One of the ironies is that Ottoman military become to good to fast in comapirson to their rivals, and thenit stuck it their old ways. I will try to find that paper.
Are you sure that it was better. Maybe in short term, but from that period rose instability and PKK expansion. Did they defeat PKK, no... instead as militaries do, they used force, extensive force to deal with the problem. Problem which is multifacet, and should be dealt with multiple angles, starting from the root of it. Why is PKK still able to recruit so many young ppl, you kill 3, 5 new recruites replaces them. Why, cause of mistakes of using militarya to solve everyathing, add to that 20 century blunders, from lenguage ban, to econimic isolation of these kurdish populated areas, ultranationalistic rhetoric, trying to deny their identity in persute of homogenus nation state. It wasnt ever going to work. Turks and Kurds were allies for much longer then they were 'enemies'. And you advisaries know this. They know if they can keep Turks and Kurds and Arabs at its other throats , they will control the region. and keep Turks and ppl of the region devided and under their control. Just imagine if for exmpl Azerbejan - Turkey-Egypt- Kurds in Iraq, sat at the table, and decide to form some loose confederation, an alliance... Turks control the bosphorus, Egypt controls the Suez, KRG has oil... thats what they are all afraid of, Europeans, Russians, Ameicans, Israel... cause they know the history and what heppened last time when this was geopolitacal reality. And thats why Arab spring, scared shitless those same actors. Cause it opened a road to such scenario. You think gov under Morsi would held meeting with the Greeks about Cyprus? Hell no. It would be helding talks with Turkey. jsut one exmpl.
Also, Erdogan becoming a boogieman in western press and many circles is tied to this. Cause he shared that vision, and was and still is very popular thru arab world, dont be fulled by statments from Sisi and its ilk, thats gov speaking... I mean, I dont know If you follow protests in Lebanon, one of the chants was; with our body, with our blood, we are ready to secrifice for you Erdogan/ Turkey. In stunned rebuke to antiturkish propaganda coming from Aoun and the emirati run TV station.
just look pay attention to this histeria over Erdogan/Turkey polularity among palestinians.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-20/turkey-s-erdogan-is-all-over-east-jerusalem
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/or...palestinians-east-jerusalem-erdogan-katz.html
They are worried of Turkish rise, cause for such scenarion I mentioned above you need a strong anchor state. And Turkey has potenatial to be that state. One of the reason for US reluctance to topple Assad and back Turkey was fear that it would be victory for Turkey and bringing the nightmare scenario closer to becoming reality.
Europeans will never see you as equals, no metter how some of parties in Turkey beat that drum. They will alwwqays see you as a threat, as the other. No metter if you blast Mozart simphonies from speakers like some CHP municipalities did. Honestily, its kinda pathetic. Shit, my ppl is as white and eurpan as it gets, but still they looked on us as the muslim outsiders. It doesnt metter that our population is not religous particulary, its more about the tradition. Sure, they are ppl who still pray 5 times a day, but they are in minority. Only time when mosques are full is on jummah, and during Bayram and Ramadan. It didnt metter that ethnicly cleansed Eastern Bosnia, muslims there, were muslim almost only by name, secular to the core. They still ended up shot and buried in mass graves. and the westernes knew about it from the start, what they were doing. and didnt stopped it. Franch president himself vetoed NATO intervention multiple times, in 1992... Britis John Major came and said to us, dont dream dreams, you will not get a state. How as much as this is painful process, Europe needs to reclaim its christian identity. That was 20 years ago. And just last week French vetoed Albanian and North macedonian EU accesion. Why, large muslim populations.
I know that some turkish brothers will have few issues with my take. That they are more inclined to isolation principle of Ataturk. But, you need to undertand, when Ataturk preached isolations it was a very differente time, it no longer works in this time and age. Its an idea forged in late 19th, early 20st... It doesnt work anymore.
