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The AKP's path to the coup

Turkey today, exposed by the failed coup attempt, is a far cry from the country the Justice and Development Party promised 14 years ago.
Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildrim (front) makes his way to address members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey July 19, 2016.    REUTERS/Umit Bektas  - RTSINN5
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A July 27 cartoon by popular Turkish cartoonist Musa Kart speaks volumes. Ruminating after the failed coup attempt, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is depicted wondering, “Somewhere I didn’t make a mistake, but where?” Indeed, the list of the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) wrongs is so long that the rights are hardly discerned.

After 14 years of AKP rule, Turkey is in turmoil. The events that led to this state of affairs boil down to one simple reason: the AKP’s skewed understanding of democracy and popular will.

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