A precarious changing of the guard
The evolution of civilian-military relations in Turkey
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Civilian-military relations in Turkey have changed dramatically. The army has lost its position as ‘school of the nation’ and as a state within the state. This is the result of the power policy machinations of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and of a specific international constellation. Following the mass protests of 2013 and the failed military coup in the summer of 2016, the AKP government increased civilian control over the military. The army was stripped of its autonomy and economic power base, and has now become an instrument of power of the President. However, this is by no means a changing of the guard to the benefit of the legislative authorities. The power of the army now lies in the hands of the President.
(Osteuropa 10-12/2018, pp. 189–199)