With the ouster of Mohammed Morsi and the ongoing violence in Egypt, many are asking whether the military’s intervention will ultimately solve Egypt’s political and economic crisis.
According to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who faced his own public protests last month, the answer to that question is a decided “no.” In chorus, Erdoğan and Turkish opposition leaders across the political spectrum defined as a coup the removal of the Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi by the military.
The consensus among Turkish political leaders is not at all surprising. The military intervened in Turkish politics in 1960, 1971, 1980 and 1997. Each coup was preceded by a period of economic and political crises marked by public protests and often violence too.
Commentary
Op-edLessons for Egypt and Turkey: Democracy is More Than Winning Elections
July 18, 2013