Turkey’s Slide into Authoritarianism | Middle East Forum

On the evening of July 15, 2016, the inhabitants of Ankara and Istanbul left their dinner tables in panic and rushed to their windows and balconies. What they saw was shocking and surreal, if not apocalyptic: tanks closing the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul[1] and encircling the parliament;[2] rival F-16 raids against government and coup forces;[3] military brass being taken hostage by their aides;[4] combat between the military and the police,[5] followed by soldiers attacking civilians;[6] and finally civilians lynching soldiers who had supported the coup