In the mid-1990s, Aygul attended one of the hundreds of "Gulen schools" that were established throughout Turkey by the unregistered network of Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen. But after a while, Aygul's parents started to see changes in her behavior.
The clampdown on suspected supporters of U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has been accused of masterminding the July 15 coup attempt, has reached unprecedented scope. Reportedly even some friends of Gulen supporters have been detained.
Forget about Turkey's EU-accession talks, which are on hold anyway. Forget about Turkey's membership in NATO, boasting the second-largest army in the alliance. Things in Turkey are not so cut and dry as to take cooperation as a sign of future unity.
In talking about his former ally whom he now accuses of attempting a coup against him, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he made "serious mistakes" dealing with Fethullah Gulen. One of the chief ones was the "Ergenekon" trials.
For years, Turkey's policy of "zero problems with neighboring countries" was a flagship concept of the ruling Justice and Development Party led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Today, there is almost no "country of immediate interest" for Ankara that Turkey has no problems with.
