Արարատից այն կողմ

A week in the shadow of Taksim — by Erik-Jan Zürcher

That is Turkey’s best bet, because, impressive and emotional as the demonstrations are, they are the expression of the feelings of a minority in this country of 76 million: the young, urban, well-educated middle class. They are enraged, they are frustrated, they are articulate – but they have no political strength. Even with the support of important social groups like the Alevis, organized labour, the bar association and the Kurdish opposition, they probably cannot force out the government. Any speculation that this wave of protest spells the end of Tayyip Erdoğan as political leader are premature. He may be an authoritarian and intolerant leader, but his record of stable and rather able government and high economic growth has given him a loyal following. There is little doubt that his party can win the municipal elections in 2014 and the next general election as well.