The Turkish religious leader Fethullah Gulen at his compound in Saylorsburg, Pa., the day after an attempted coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, July 16, 2016. Gulen, who died this week in self-imposed exile in the United States, and Erdogan began as allies in forging an Islamist society in Turkey, but then a power struggle brought bloodshed and an authoritarian crackdown. [Charles Mostoller/The New York Times]
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rise to power with the support of Fethullah Gulen, an influential preacher, took a somber turn as their alliance crumbled into a brutal power struggle. The breaking point was hit in 2013 when Erdogan accused Gulen of orchestrating a “judicial coup.” Subsequent events led to a failed military coup in 2016, followed by a harsh crackdown on Gulen’s followers, marking a pivotal moment in Turkish politics.
Despite efforts to extradite Gulen from the U.S., Erdogan’s authoritarian tendencies grew stronger post-coup, leading to a drastic shift in Turkish governance. With mass trials and a tightening grip on dissent, Erdogan reshaped Turkey’s political landscape by consolidating power and sidelining opposition with ruthless efficiency.
These events, chronicled in The New York Times, showcase a dramatic transformation in Turkish politics, where Erdogan’s ambitions have redrawn the country’s future trajectory in stark ways.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.