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Is Turkey Heading Toward Civil War?

The risk of deepening social unrest hovers over Turkey as the prime minister refuses to acknowledge the grievances of demonstrators.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan gestures during the Ministry for European Union Affairs'  EU-Istanbul Conference in Istanbul June 7, 2013. Erdogan called on Turks on Friday to distance themselves from lawless protests and said accusations of the excessive use of police force during days of unrest were being investigated. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX10F6W
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For the past several days, all Turkey held its breath as it awaited Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s return from his North Africa tour to hear what he would say about the ongoing Gezi Park resistance.

While in Tunisia, Erdogan had already given two messages that signaled what his stance would be. First, he confirmed he would go ahead with building a replica of Ottoman military barracks at Taksim Square, which led to the uprooting of trees at Gezi Park and ignited the events that shook Turkey. Second, he declared that “the minority cannot rule the majority” in response to criticism that his rule had become a majoritarian diktat.

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