Night of the Generals — M.I. Quandour

The story of the attempted coup in Turkey became an international incident of interest because of the lingering evidence of foreign government agencies involved in the operation.

At first, what seemed like the amateurish operation of some renegade generals, intent on removing Erdogan from office, eventually appeared to be an operation instigated by Fethullah Gülen, the fugitive opposition leader in the United States.

The Gulenist Parallel Structure (FETO) was not without aid; eavesdropping evidence from cyberspace quickly established discreet involvement of the CIA in the planning for the dramatic upheaval.

The objective became Regime Change, an American policy often practiced in the region â€" from the establishment of the Shah of Iran, to the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the decapitation of Iraq, the destruction of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, and most recently the open policy for removal of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Turkey, as a member of NATO, should have been immune from such a fate.

In a stunning reversal, the Turkish population in all its multi-ethnic societies and opposition political parties all stood up as one nation to defend the legitimacy of a democratically elected government. They refused to have history repeat itself once more with a military dictatorship, supported by foreign paymasters, taking over control of their nation.

Erdogan might not have the entire nation behind him in the ballot box. But his leadership has become an inspiration to the Moslem world. Turkey was like Syria before Erdogan; It has become like Spain after Erdogan, He displayed great courage and wisdom during the perilous crisis.

In a world where news has become fake and facts have alternatives, where nothing is as it appears and plot and counter-plot rage across, the Turkish people and their leader became the real heroes of this drama of July 15, 2016.