Turkey is split in two, and not necessarily along religious lines.
One half, or so they say, adores Erdogan for his economic policies, the other half wants him out by any means.
The half that backs the president sees the revolt as a foreign or extremist guided violence that is wrecking the country.
With that kind of support Erdogan feels safe both in his repression and in his propaganda of contrast to the youth revolts. Unfortunately, that 50% vote and support also leads him to believe he can do anything he wants, any way he wants to.
The revolts in Turkey are part of a wider movement however. Erdogan's reactions only bolsters their argument that he has become a dictator of sorts. Erdogan in fact, has reacted to the criticism by vehemently attacking any opposition as an attack against his person, if not his governing style.
But with prosperity, which Erdogan can take credit for, also comes the taking of conscience of the intellectuals and the younger generations. For them, what Erdogan has done is unforgivable. One of the things that they dislike the most is the fact that he listens to no one and has no sensibility towards those people who criticize him.
Erdogan however, deserves if not in full, at least in part the despot moniker. He has snipped the military's once powerful mandate down to size, and has started to persecute both the press and the elite if they express negativity towards him or his policies. And he has gone out of his way to make opposition much harder.
But the demonstrators have no party affiliation under which they are flying. They are not happy at the increasingly prohibitive tone of Erdogan's policies. As Erdogan passes more and more measures that push the country towards a Sharia state, Turkish citizens are fearing that they will become a totalitarian state, much like Iran.
But because the demonstrators are not in the majority, at least not a wide majority, the revolution in Turkey might just wimper out. And if it does, the prime minister will be entitled at least in his mind, to proceed even more quickly towards the formation of a state in the image he has fashioned in his mind.
Op-ed
Partial Source : Spiegel online 6.9.13
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