The Western response to the coup attempt is scary

I hate conspiracy theories; they are not only an expression of narrow-mindedness, but also block common sense and chart a path toward the dangerous waters of xenophobia, anti-Semitism and paranoia.

Unfortunately, they are very popular nowadays, especially in Muslim countries, and it fans the flames of anti-Westernism while fostering nationalist authoritarian politics. That is why I have been a long-time critic of the conspiratorial mind in Turkey and have written extensively on that false mindedness. 

Nevertheless, I must admit that even I have started to view the recent suspicions about "U.S. or Western backing for the coup attempt" as not entirely groundless. It is not to say that I am one among those who directly accuse the U.S. of plotting against Turkey, but I find the U.S. and Western reaction toward the coup attempt in Turkey as utterly problematic. 

First of all, Western governments and media outlets, from the very beginning, did not decisively denounce the coup attempt. On the contrary, international channels broke the news in an almost apologetic way on behalf of the coup plotters. Moreover, some almost legitimized the move as they claimed that the army could have been reacting against "the inefficiency of the government in the fight against ISIL." Then, some started to imply that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan might have staged the whole thing in order to use the pretext to extend his power. Finally, some started to express their skepticism concerning the role of Gülenists in the coup. Even if there are still dark aspects of the whole affair that deserve skepticism and the possibility that the coup will be abused to attempt a severe purge, it is not sensible to focus more on the unconvincing story that Erdoğan himself staged the...