With the coup foiled in Turkey, what next?
Turkey needs to heal its domestic rifts, team up with its allies to fight ISIS, make peace with its neighbours, and discuss its endgame with the EU, post-Brexit.
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THE brazen, bloody, failed coup attempt burst like a lightning storm over Turkey, throwing into stark relief the challenges, contradictions, cleavages and possibilities that face this pivotal nation.
The government's revenge promises to be harsh. Thousands of people have been detained or dismissed, including military officers, judges and policemen. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for reinstatement of the death penalty.
The urgent question for Turkey and its neighbours and friends is: What will Mr Erdogan and his AKP party supporters do next? Will he focus on score-settling and then accelerate the forced march to increasing authoritarianism? Is it too late for Turks to commit their nation to policies that promote tolerance, pluralism, the rule of law and the fight against extremism?
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