Turkey’s opposition parties do not support coup: Journalist

Press TV has interviewed David Lindorff, an investigative journalist from Pennsylvania, to discuss the impacts of Turkey’s failed coup on the country’s polarized population, policies and regional instability.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How do you think this failed coup will affect the country’s already polarized population?

Lindorff: I think actually what we have seen was a kind of a rallying by Turks around the democratic remains of what they have in their government there. The people came out in the streets; there hasn’t been any sign of popular resistance to the counter-coup; so I think that the elements of the military that tried this coup badly miscalculated on what the impact of their coup would be. I mean they didn’t see a rising of the people to support the elements that were supporting the coup, so they were kind of stranded. And we saw the opposition parties rallying behind the government too, even though they oppose the government. So, I think what we are seeing is that Turks really do not want … there may be an enormous opposition to Erdogan’s government, but it doesn’t include supporting a coup to overthrow it at this point.

Press TV: What kind of impact do you see this failed coup will have on Turkey’s both foreign and domestic policies?

Lindorff: Unfortunately, domestically what we are seeing is the worst possible outcome. We are seeing Erdogan taking advantage of the failed coup to go further with what he has been doing of dismantling democratic governance. He has arrested thousands and fired dozens of judges from their legal system many of whom … were blocking some of his more extreme efforts to unwind democratic control and establish kind of one-man rule and he is also using it to try to purge the military which has been in years past of bulwark oddly enough of secularist democratic government in Turkey. So, he is using it to consolidate his power which is unfortunate. Internationally, I think he will be hurt in the long run. For example, his proposal to reinstate the death penalty is undoing something that was done in 2004 as part of an effort to gain entry into the European Union, because he can’t be a member of the Union if he has a death penalty, so he is obviously writing off entirely any chance of Turkey becoming part of the European Union if he reinstates the death penalty.

Press TV: The Middle East has endured quite a bit of chaos in recent years. How critical was it for Turkey to maintain the order and get over this coup -- not let this coup take place -- to not contribute to the instability that’s already taking place in the region?

Lindorff: He has to contribute to instability I mean any time you establish more of dictatorial governance, as he is in the process of doing, you are creating the ingredients for instability, rather it is another coup or civil strife of another kind. Democracy has a lot of weaknesses, but one of the strengths is that it gives people a way to change things without violence and overthrowing of governments and he is eliminating every avenue for opposition that would be done peacefully in Turkey, so I guess it is inviting big problems for Turkey down the road.

Press TV: Considering what is taking place in Syria and Iraq, right next door, if Turkey would have fell to this coup what would that have meant for regional stability?

Lindorff: In that sense it may contribute, because Turkey has been playing such a nefarious role in supporting ISIS (Daesh) and allowing ISIS to move weapons and move personnel along the borders, so if Turkey gets preoccupied with its own security issues at home it may make things tougher for ISIS in trying to overthrow the Syrian government.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk