With Gulen dead, Turkey sees chance to weaken group, improve US ties
How Turkey will shape its strategy against Gulenists after the death of their leader, Ankara's arch nemesis?
As Turkey weighs its options to combat the movement of Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based Sunni Turkish preacher who died on Oct. 21, Turkish officials see an opportunity to weaken the group and resolve a sticking point with Washington.
Gulen, 83, and his movement were accused of masterminding the failed 2016 coup attempt against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well as forming a parallel state in which its members infiltrated the Turkish bureaucracy.
For years, Turkey debated what to do with Gulen. In the wake of his death, the focus has shifted to Gulen’s followers as they scramble to restructure the leadership of the group’s massive empire of businesses, schools, media outlets and lobby groups.
While the exact figures are unknown due to the secretive nature of the network, the group is estimated to control tens of billions of dollars through its schools, charity organizations and various businesses around the world, according to a 2013 BBC profile of Gulen.
