The Demilitarization of Politics and the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey

Sponsored by The Middle East Institute at Columbia University

Tuesday, Nov. 15

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Room 208, Knox Hall

Columbia University

606 W. 122nd Street

New York, NY 10027

Join us for a talk with Dr. Koray Caliskan:

How do we explain the dynamics behind the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey at a time when social scientific literature has been discussing the dynamics behind the dissolution of military tutelary regime in the country? Addressing such an unanticipated puzzle, Dr. Caliskan argues that the civilian success behind the dissolution of military's political power in Turkey paradoxically contributed both to the emergence and the failure of the coup attempt organized by a junta composed of Gulenist officers and their collaborators in the army. Describing the historical evolution of civil - military relations in the country, he explains the dissolution of military tutelary regime with reference to a combination of push and pull factors. He will also present the dynamics behind the emergence and failure of the latest coup attempt that took place on July 15, 2016.

Dr. Koray Caliskan is Associate Professor of Political Science at Bogazici University, where he now works on political parties, marketisation and authoritarianism. He received his Ph.D. with distinction from New York University, with which he earned the Malcolm Kerr Social Science Award from the Middle East Studies Association. Previously, Caliskan worked as a columnist on politics in Radikal and BirGün newspapers and as a program host for Haberturk and +1 TV  in Istanbul. His book Market Threads analyzes international trade and global markets, particularly in Turkey, Egypt, and the United States (Princeton University Press, 2011). He owns a film production company where he directed and produced various fiction and documentary films, including In Flames, a popular political comedy on Kurdish question, that opened in 200 theatres in Europe and the Middle East.