The theme of the failed coup in Turkey never leaves the tabloids and news channels. Erdogan's unprecedented cleansing of the military, lawyers, and, most unusually, high school teachers, has caused a wave of righteous anger and indignation among Turkey's NATO partners.
The media stirred up a panic, demonizing Erdogan's image after the power outage and blocking of NATO military at Incirlik - an unfriendly decision to put it mildly, especially against the backdrop of a renewed friendship with Russia and the fact that the airbase gave cover to the rebels. More on that later.
The coup failure was a field day for the imagination of journalists and pseudo-analysts, who have a lot of colorful ideas. It was said that Erdogan organized the coup himself, just to consolidate his power. Contradicting that, it was said Russian special services saved Erdogan from death. In various eccentric media lately the trend has been to track the "hand of the Kremlin", especially in Ukraine.
The most truthful news, which cannot be disregarded, is that NATO could suspend Turkey. Reuters quoted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg saying that no one inside the block had yet (!) discussed the question of whether to exclude Turkey. He stressed that Turkey must bring its actions in compliance with the law and the democratic norms and principles of the alliance.
In the current situation, it seems unlikely that Erdogan will change the decision concerning military prisoners. And purges of teachers are no coincidence. The reason for the dismissals and the prohibition of high school teachers from leaving the country was their commitment to the ideas of Fetullah Gullen, who according to Turkish authorities is behind the failed coup. This struggle against adherents of the opposition, even underground, is clearly aimed at the consolidation of power by Erdogan and his image abroad.
To follow the exhortations of the West and abandon the policy would mean a loss of confidence among voters, weaken Turkey's political position, encouraging Gullen's followers, and, of course, it would demonstrate Turkey's failure as an independent state, turning it into another US puppet.
Comment: Which was the CIA's goal all along in backing the Gulen movement.
And let's not forget the Kurds, who are destabilizing the country. This segment of the Turkish population pursues its own interests that have little to do with those of Turkey or any other country, taking advantage of any weakness. NATO understands this very well, so the claim that the alliance is not considering suspending Turkey is similar to a preliminary justification for a decision already taken.
Speaking of the Kurds, we need to raise the issue of NATO's double standards. As a member, Turkey has repeatedly appealed for assistance in suppressing the terrorist threat from the radical part of the Kurdish population. Instead, the alliance at first politely ignored the arguments of its partner, then provided technical assistance to the Kurds, showing its tacit support.
As for the base in Incirlik, at least 11 high-ranking officers were arrested on charges of organizing a coup. Interestingly, most of the officers were trained in American military schools, and the NATO air base hid them. Yet the United States was offended by the "aggressive" rhetoric of the Turkish leadership on the day after the failed putsch.
And finally, on July 15th came a bloody attack in Nice in which 84 people were killed. In just the last year and a half there were about 10 attacks in France. On July 15th the state of emergency was extended for six months.
Aside from the coup attempt in Turkey, on June 28th, a bombing attack occurred at the Istanbul airport. Over the last 6 months Turkey has seen 20 plus attacks. On July 20, Erdogan imposed a state of emergency.
A few hours later Germany as the main "locomotive of Europe", urged Turkey to lift the state of emergency. Probably, the Turks are no longer so valuable to the Europeans. Moreover, its friendship with Russia deserves punishment.
It's clear that Turkey is tired of dancing to America's tune without getting anything in return. An eloquent illustration of Erdogan's opinion of "western values" is the country's withdrawal from the Convention on Human Rights.
Long-standing disagreements between NATO and Turkey have finally congealed, and Washington clearly prefers to get rid of its distressed friend, while maintaining credibility. What rules apply to Erdogan, only Allah knows, along with the Turkish president, and perhaps some of his neighbors.
The author was born in Crimea and currently lives in Erzurum, Turkey where he works as a translator and interpreter.
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