Turkey military coup Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Turkey military coup - Essay Example Although the term coup d'etat is associated with military power in the minds of people it is not the sole distinguishing feature of what constitutes a coup d'etat. What is important is a use of deceit and infiltration by a small group of people to gain power and authority of a small but critical segment or sector of the government and thereby assume political control. In this regard, such plans will eventually succeed if the coup plotters gain a critical mass which it can win over to its side, or alternatively, when there is acquiescence or apathy from the population or the greater bulk of the military just stands by and fails to come to the rescue of government resulting in its displacement and eventual surrender to a much smaller force of coup plotters. A lot of political discourse has been generated with the propriety of a coup as well as its repercussions on civil society as a whole. Those who plan, support and carry out a coup are often idealistic people who use their own ideali sm and agenda for reforms as justification. But history likewise showed that those who live by the sword will in turn die by the sword. Discussion History is replete with instances of coups staged mostly by trusted advisers or by those who had gained close access to the centers of power. Their proximity to power made it easier for them to observe the workings and more importantly, the defects and deficiencies of those currently holding power. Coup plotters have plenty of motivations and reasons to seize power that provide justifications for their illegal actions. As previously discussed, the use of military or its close relative which are the paramilitary units, is not a distinguishing feature to correctly define what a coup is. These coup plotters usually enlist the help of the military establishment because it is only the military that has the discipline, expertise, firepower and cohesion that is often needed to succeed in seizing power by sudden and violent means. As they say, mi ght is right. This is what happens when the coup plotters succeed in the plan of toppling an elected government and these people immediately go to great length to try to explain to their people why intervention was necessary. For the military people, the reasons for joining the coup are elaborated upon such as to save the State from its enemies within and without, try to restore order, ensure political stability or some other alibi that will legitimize a trip into governance and intervention in political affairs of the nation (Kieh & Agbese 23). The military establishment of any country provides a crucial component of coups as it provides the muscle whenever necessary for the coup to succeed. In general, the justifications for a coup can be categorized into three, namely: political, social and military unrest. Political reasons may pertain to a failure of the political system like when politicians are incompetent, massive corruption, greed for power, lack of democratic institutions or political squabbles. A social justification is when there is too much power in one person or in one institution only. A good reason might be the lack of genuine freedoms for the people. The military reasons could be interference in purely