Reframing the July 15 Coup Attempt: A Political and Sociological Examination

On July 15, 2016, Turkey witnessed the most bloody military coup attempt in its history, and for the first time it was repulsed by the resistance of society, political actors, and state institutions. In the two years since then, instead of examining this attempt from the perspective of Turkey’s military coup traditions or civil-military relations literature, the July 15 coup attempt has largely been seen through the lens of FET？ and the power struggle between FET？ and the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). This study goes beyond this rudimentary and reductionist readings of the July 15 coup attempt that reduce it to a disagreement between two former allies. Instead, it looks at it through the political, sociological and institutional contexts that rendered this attempt first possible and then unsuccessful at the same time