A Failed Coup.docVIP

A Failed Coup 　　A military coup was staged by a faction within the Turkish armed forces in the nation’s capital， Ankara， and its largest city， Istanbul on the night of July 15. Shots were heard in Parliament， the Presidential Palace and major airports， while at least 290 people have died and more than 1，000 were injured. 　　Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a speech on social media， calling on the people to protest against the coup， and within a day the attempted takeover had failed. 　　 Domestic turmoil 　　Multiple factors underpin the coup： the relationship between Erdogan and the military has been deteriorating； the ruling Justice and Development Party （AKP）， an Islamic party led by Erdogan， is criticized by secularists for the increasing role of religion in politics； and the Turkish military， which considers itself to be the guardian of secular democracy and constitutional order， believes it is now necessary to intervene. 　　To compound matters， stability in Turkey is faltering， with terrorist attacks increasing in frequency. Regional Kurdish issues remain a source of tension too， while Erdogan’s intention to change Turkey’s parliamentary system to a presidential one faces opposition domestically. 　　Despite these factors， the attempted coup was still defeated within a day， underscoring， to some degree， the level of power of， and public support for， the AKP. Besides， the coup was not unanimously backed by the military， with the attempted takeover being staged by a small number of army officials rather than by its mainstream. In recent years， Erdogan has become astute at dealing with the military and has successfully wiped out many high-level personnel who opposed him. 　　The Turkish public has become less accepting of military intervention in politics. As the domestic economy develops， Turks have become more favorable toward civilian politics. Aside from many citizens， opposition parties and the global community have also tended to reject the