The generals' takeover brings relief, and some foreboding
The most obvious effect of the military intervention that overthrew the Turkish government of Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel two weeks ago was the widespread sense of relief it produced. After months of rising terrorism by both the extreme left and extreme right, the country allowed itself to settle into a state of unaccustomed relaxation. Civilians waved at tanks rumbling through the streets of Istanbul. Automobile drivers shook hands with soldiers who manned the roadblocks. Storekeepers raised their bombproof shutters for the first time in...