Coup Plots and the Transformation of Civil–Military Relations in Turkey under AKP Rule

Abstract

This article examines the ongoing transformation of civil–military relations in Turkey under Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule, which was triggered by uncovering of the Ergenekon affair and a series of alleged plots against the AKP government by groups within the armed forces. Legal-constitutional changes, anti-coup trials, increasing civil influence in the military promotions and a dramatic turnaround of public opinion of the military interventions in the aftermath of the Ergenekon affair point to a paradigmatic shift in civil–military relations in Turkey.