The Turkish generals, ever since the rise of the Ataturk Republic, have not been accustomed to being humiliated or driven to courts, as they consider themselves defenders of secularism and guardians of the constitution and unity of Turkey…just as some of them consider that the two-head Islamist government (Erdogan-Gul) has mislead them by the temptation of joining Europe's train, with its globalization, industry and markets. These generals do not allow the police guns to force them to stand before courts. They have been accustomed to be the loudest voice, to which all the state institutions should listen, including the judiciary, as long as Ataturk's “sword” is in their hands, the national extremists are their image and the whip in their street. If their meeting, which took place a few hours ago, gives the yellow light and paves the way for a certain movement that responds to the “humiliation,” then their warning against the “serious situation” that emerged after the detention of tens of senior officers is a message addressed to Prime Minister Recep-Tayyip Erdogan saying that they are fed up and that the time for punishment has come. Before the fate of four senior officers was clear – who were detained in the Security Directorate after a coup plot was revealed regarding the case of the “sledgehammer”, which is supposedly a military scenario to topple the Justice and Development Party's Islamist Government - predictions on the imminent date of the settlement fell apart once again. The confrontation between the two-head government and the military institution was prolonged, and the nationalists accuse the army of easygoingness with Erdogan, Gul and their party. In fact, the timing of the implications of the «sledgehammer», which is experiencing the most difficult chapters, coincides with the first signs of a collision between the government and the judiciary. This collision entices some into restoring the short-lived premiership experience of Necmettin Erbakan, despite the significant differences. Necmettin who replaced the Welfare Party after it was banned, by sidestepping the pressures of the military, promising his Islamist supporters with a different steadfastness for the Happiness Party, ended up a desperate politician as he was dragged into an embezzlement case. Although Erdogan's star is certainly brighter than that of Necmettin, the fact is that Turkish trade markets and their prosperity, and the Justice and Development Party's adoption of open doors and windows with all neighbors are two assets that allowed the party overcome many years of silent confrontation with the army… and its sledgehammer. It is the same sledgehammer that always conjures up the phantom of military coups and the experience of Canaan Efrain (1980), although some in Turkey are hinting that the alleged «sledgehammer conspiracy», to topple Erdogan's government, is a mere a «conspiracy» weaved by the government's imagination that aims at accusing and toppling the army generals... or at least at keeping the sword of suspicion hanging over their necks, instead of them keeping the sword of betraying secularism hanging over the necks of the government and its party. It may not be a flight of imagination to assume that there are American attempts to nurture the confrontation in Turkey and stir up a crisis in the relationship between the government and the army. It is believed in Washington that the duo Erdogan - Gul has gone too far in its efforts for rapprochement with Iran, which is not only in a conflict with the West, but is also challenging the latter to try depriving it of nuclear power. The fact that the Turkish prime minister used expressions like common destiny with the Tehran - which rebels on the international resolutions - and warned against the consequences of any Israeli strike against the Iranian nuclear facilities, cannot please Washington, although the latter does not seem interested in the military option. What concerns the United States is not to send any regional message to Iran, one that the latter could see as a support for its program, which would help it join the ranks of nuclear countries. It is also obvious that Washington has established over many years a strong network of relations with the Turkish military institution, which has skillfully played the role of the guardian of the Atlantic Alliance during the “cold war”. So the Pentagon, of course, will not enjoy «humiliating» its generals. Whether they carry out their threat to submit “collective resignations” or not – and this is likely to happen– Turkey, under Erdogan, is facing once again the likelihoods of an immense clash with the army, while its relations with the judiciary are deteriorating. Moreover, its political confrontations with Israel are more frequent now, and it is becoming more displeased with the difficult labor of its accession to the European Union. In its attempt to find a solution, Ankara sought to redraw the regional roles, with it becoming the biggest winner of the strategic cooperation with Iraq and Syria. It also became the “pacific” fine-tuner of Iran's role. This might explain the desire of some resentful sides to exploit the repercussions of the «sledgehammer», in order to downsize Erdogan's star and keep him busy with the army's “riot.”
