Mohamed A. El-Erian , Columnist

How Social Media Helped Defeat the Turkish Coup

The military plotters forgot they couldn't control the internet.

July 18, 2016 at 2:00 AM EDT

Mohamed A. El-Erian is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A former chief executive officer of Pimco, he is president of Queens’ College, Cambridge; chief economic adviser at Allianz SE; and chair of Gramercy Fund Management. He is author of “The Only Game in Town.”

People power.
Photographer: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images

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The attempted coup d'etat by a faction of Turkey's armed forces on Friday failed for many reasons, including divisions among the military and repeated missteps by the plotters.

Social media and mobile communications also played an important role. And it wasn't the first time this combination has enabled citizens to express their will and have a say in deciding who governs them and why.

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