I SUSPECT GLENN’S RIGHT. If the coup fails then Erdogan’s opposition is weakened, even those decent folks who didn’t have an inkling. Which leads to the flip side: Erdogan gains strength. Here is a thought that is not a new thought: The deep concern about Erdogan isn’t his Islamism, it’s his creeping authoritarianism. Sure, there may well be some overlap between these concerns. However, Erdogan has taken a very hard line against Al Qaeda. That’s an empirical fact. That said, I’m not the only observer who sees his “creeping authoritarian coup” as a threat to Turkey’s secular republic. Check out references to Sultan Recep.