THE speed and efficiency of his putsch has led many to question whether the Turkish President was awaiting an excuse for a crackdown, or even encouraged the revolt.

Certainly, Mr Erdogan’s crushed the opposition and now threatens to reinstate the death penalty.

For Western leaders, still feebly stating their support for Turkey’s democratically elected government, this presents a problem.

Turkey occupies a vital strategic role in the Middle East, acting as a conduit between the West and Arabia and posing an obstacle to Russia.

Her 640,000-strong army is the second largest in Nato, while Incirlik airbase houses Nato’s nuclear arsenal and acts as an hub for airstrikes against ISIL.

Turkey also provides a temporary solution to the EU’s Syrian refugee crisis.

Telling this prickly, proud and increasingly Islamified nation that their behaviour could mean suspension from Nato, and the end of their bid to join the EU, does not go down well.

A growing diplomatic crisis between the USA and Turkey does not bode well, either.

Nor does the rounding up of 50,000 Turks, including 6,000 soldiers, 9,000 civil servants, 8,000 police officers and almost half of all provincial governors.

Most worryingly, 3,000 judges have been imprisoned and tens of thousands of teachers and academics sacked.

Add to this the arrest and incarceration of most of the country’s independent journalists and it could be argued that Turkey’s democratically elected government demonstrates few of the freedoms it claims to be protecting.

A state of emergency has now been declared.

These are worrying developments in a part of the world already riven with strife.

We need Turkey to look west, not east, and I do hope this so-called coup is not a diversion, allowing the hard-line to clean out its potential opponents.