Three months ago, when people such as Michael Rubin, spoke of a coup we all got very angry. We thought that such men were stirring up provocations. We said they were dreaming. We always knew that they were calling for a coup by whistling. But we didn’t know that there would be people who would run towards and answer this whistle. Because it wasn’t something possible. It didn’t have any logic. It didn’t have either a political or a social foundation. There had been an election just seven months ago, and the government renewed its legitimacy with a historical record. All opposing groups felt obligated to show their respect for the national will. There wasn’t any political or social vulnerability and instability to encourage the plotters of the coup.
However, FETÖ undermined the national will and attempted this madness as is it disengaged from the people, and doesn’t know its own society; its relationship with the people outside its own organization’s members is based on total fraud.
Throughout its history this group, saw the people of this country as crowds to exploit under the name of benevolence, to be used on political grounds, and to be ignored socially. They always stuck like a virus to areas not filled by the government, like a parasite on its coattails. They always believed that they were successful. They always coveted more. They didn’t even have any tolerance towards the non-governmental organizations which weren’t under their control. While talking about these, their hatred was clear in their eyes. As other masses of society didn’t problematize their organized deception, they expanded more and more. However, they saw again and again that they couldn’t have an effect on society no matter how much they expanded. Twice, they tried different kinds of coups with different methods. They were involved in various heinous acts before elections. They had no doubt that they could put their claim on people’s will but they failed every time. Because they never knew the society they were in. They always thought that they could get stronger on the coattails of the strong. According to this logic, the source of power was not the people, but international effectiveness. They had such connections outside that there wasn’t anything they couldn’t achieve inside. At least, this was what their “older brothers” thought. Everything was told by those “older brothers” anyway. Those half-wit older brothers would tell them who to marry, what names to give their children, or whether they can visit their parents or not. They only followed orders. They didn’t think of anything else besides carrying out a few simple methods they had memorized for years. If their “infallible and innocent” teacher said that “the international public opinion is in our favor,” it was like that! It was not doubted! If he said “We were heralded,” it was true! No question was asked! Only, what needs to be done was ordered, and they did it.
If we talked about this a month ago, this could seem like a caricaturized picture to some. We saw today that, even characters who managed to reach the status of general were not outside this logic. They were blind enough to undertake a suicide attack without giving further thought. From firing at civilians, to sending a killing squad to the country’s elected president, and from bombing the parliament which is the symbol of the people’s will, to hunting down innocent civilians with a sniper; there is no limit, no consideration.
For what? They wouldn’t tell if you’d ask. They have to ask their older brothers. In fact, they all vaguely know that they want everything. But what is everything? Everything is not a concrete answer. What will happen next? It is also not definite. There is no need to answer these anyway. Because this organization was established in this way. It became this strong because it was established on such irrationality - this same irrationality is causing its collapse.
Unsuccessful Blitzkrieg
This is their third coup attempt. In the ones before, and for this one they made plans at length. They couldn’t reach their aims in the first two, and this time as well. Their memorization on how they would do it is not enough to know what they will do. These kinds of operations need the skill of prioritizing the strategic targets. However, spineless people who have never determined any of their targets in their lives, cannot determine strategic priority.
They know standard operation procedures by heart but they cannot make decisions in irregular environments. They supposedly planned a blitzkrieg. However, they only memorized the speed and small unit side of a blitzkrieg, and studied how they would do it. Although, they had planned a blitzkrieg, they followed the attack plan of terrorization campaigns. They thought that once the military targets fell, the political targets would be alone, and the social support would collapse. Holding the bridges, and other transportation vehicles, is not a blitzkrieg but a terrorization campaign. For example, England which used terrorization, laid siege to all of Europe from the sea against Napoleon, closed off the transportation, and waited. Hitler who used a blitzkrieg didn’t lose time with the Maginot Line, he went directly to Paris. They couldn’t even see this difference.
Blitzkriegs focus on the target, while terrorization focuses on the tools. But their eyes are always on the tools. They started the operation on the bridges. They rushed to Telekom, raided TRT, went to CNN Türk, they wanted the Metropolitan Municipality. They didn’t give special importance to the coup opponents’ targets. They couldn’t capture the Security buildings. Their operation against the MIT failed. In conclusion, both in Ankara and in Istanbul, the security forces cleared the places that were captured. They didn’t even commence an operation against the prime minister or the ministers. The government worked like a clock in Çankaya. Capturing the chief of staff, and the force commanders doesn’t mean the end of politics and society. There is a real politics and society in this country. The government worked for hours in the absence of the commanders. When the chief of staff was rescued in the morning, the coup attempt had virtually ended.
When They Failed Their International “Older Brothers” Stepped In
They couldn’t put the objectives in order. The people who belittled politics all their lives, couldn’t see the power of politics in society. While every minute they couldn’t reach their aims turned against them, they couldn’t see that they stood against a leadership expert at setting strategy and political targets, and a nation that would follow his willpower. Their small, and mobile units were drowned in the crowds. While they waited on the bridge, Erdoğan plunged among the people. He hit the nail on the head. Then, he waited. While time was working against the FETÖ, its international “older brothers” started to crumble one by one. Though reluctantly, they had to declare support for the law and democracy in Turkey. This actually showed us, how Turkey can withstand even outside interferences when resistance on the inside increases.
The Army Should Be Restructured
Today, the government is rounding up the FETÖ members. Once they are removed, this organization will cease to be a threat. However, this period showed us that crazed juntas can always emerge. Coup plotters can stage a coup attempt even if it is the coup is outside the chain of command. Therefore, we have to have an all-out fight against the junta. There are things to be done both on the political and the strategic dimension for this. Foremost among this, comes the restructuring of the army to discourage the formation of juntas. In order to prevent the domination of a minority group in the army, it should be made more open to the control of political governments which wouldn’t have the need of forming juntas. Once the army seems like it is far from political control, it is attacked by minority groups. Strategically, alternative measures should be developed against potential juntas which would be prone to blitzkriegs. The institutions and structures which will resist the junta will possibly use mobile and aggressive weapons, and should be equipped with defense weapons such as anti-tank and missile defense systems. Moreover, the kind and number of these institutions should be increased, and their strategic target type and number should be raised. Thus, coup plotters will have to divide their power, and the country will not be exposed to a coup.
