A Lesson in Spanish History for Turkey’s Leaders

For the sake of democracy, the Turkish government’s response to the July 2017 coup attempt stands to learn from the Spanish government’s response to a strikingly similar event in February 1981.

Spanish M47 Patton tank

by Janicke Stramer-Smith

Thirty-five-years ago in Spain, just as in Turkey this past summer, a small faction within the military attempted to seize power from the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez.

In February 1981, a rebel army of 200 military officers of the civil guard, led by Lieutenant Colonel An…