THE aftermath of the attempted coup in Turkey on July 15th has been fertile ground for conspiracy theories. Pro-government newspapers have alleged that CIA agents directed the coup from an island in the Sea of Marmara; that a retired American general wired billions of dollars to rogue Turkish soldiers; and that the United States directed Turkish forces to kill President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Another newspaper called Germany an enemy state, and pictured its chancellor, Angela Merkel, in a Nazi uniform.
The surge in anti-Western sentiment is widely shared. One poll found that 84% of Turks believe that the coup-plotters received help from abroad; more than 70% suspect America of having a hand. Mr Erdogan and his ministers have accused the West of double standards, and warn of a serious deterioration in ties unless the United States extradites Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based Islamist cleric whom they blame for orchestrating the coup. A senior American official complains that using Mr Gulen as the only yardstick for bilateral ties puts the relationship at risk. Mr Erdogan does not seem to care.
In part, Western governments have...Continue reading
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