July 15, Ten Years On: A Comparison Between Kemalist and Gülenist Tutelage Models From the Perspective of Democratic Theory

The Gülenist coup attempt of July 15, 2016 occupies a distinct place in Türkiye’s political history, both for the scale of violence employed and the direct targeting of state institutions, as well as for the fact that it was thwarted through broad-based popular resistance. The tenth anniversary of the coup attempt offers a valuable opportunity to move beyond the heat of contemporary political debate and reassess the event within the context of the country’s long experience of bureaucratic tutelage. This analysis examines the shared characteristics of the Kemalist and Gülenist structures—outwardly opposed to one another—from the standpoint of democratic theory and practice. The comparison between the two structures proceeds along the axes of the leader cult, allegiance to absolute and centralized power, social engineering, distance from pluralism, the instrumentalization of democratic politics, contempt for elected politicians, organization within the state bureaucracy, and recourse to a coup as a last resort. The analysis does not claim that Kemalism and Gülenism constitute the same ideology; rather, it argues that different ideological sources and symbols can produce a similar style of tutelary politics. It is argued that, rather than dismantling the Kemalist model of bureaucratic tutelage, the Gülenist structure instead appropriated its methods of organizing within the state, building bureaucratic power, and shaping society from above, in pursuit of establishing a new order of tutelage. The analysis further considers the democratic lessons that ought to be drawn from July 15, within the framework of the rule of law, individual accountability, state impartiality, meritocracy, pluralism, and the primacy of civilian politics.