Has Turkish government overplayed its hand?

TEHRAN,Jun.22(MNA)--Turkey is still grappling with serious social unrest, and many people continue to take to the streets of Istanbul and other major cities on a daily basis to express their dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policies. The demonstrations are also being interpreted as a rejection of Erdogan’s interference in neighboring Syria, where thousands of innocent civilians and government officials have been killed by terrorists who were trained and supported by the Turkish government and some of its allies inside and outside the region. The unrest began in Istanbul, when people decided to protest against the government’s decision to cut down all the trees of Gezi Park and replace it with a huge shopping mall. However, the massive demonstrations were not only about saving Gezi Park, although the situation did give the demonstrators the opportunity they have been looking for over the past few years. Many Turkish citizens have become fed up with the government’s authoritarian style in its handling of social affairs and foreign policy issues. The anti-Erdogan sentiments boiled over when the inflexible prime minister decided to use violence against the protesters and called them agents of the opposition. He even asked his followers to take to the streets to counter the protesters. All this has exacerbated the situation, and there is a possibility that Turkey may face major national security issues in the coming weeks -– and only because of Erdogan’s intransigence and refusal to give concessions. The social unrest in Turkey has become an embarrassment for Erdogan in the international arena, and Western governments are beginning to become concerned that he will no longer be able to implement their plans in the region. This view of Erdogan was already evident, since he has been regarded as one of the main factors behind the anti-Syria front’s failure to oust President Bashar al-Assad. And now, the rising tide of social unrest in Turkey seems to have brought Erdogan closer to his expiration date -- that is, if it has not already arrived. Hassan Hanizadeh is a political analyst and an expert on the Middle East based in Tehran. (By Hassan Hanizadeh)