Kind of reminds you of Syria, Egypt and Libya.
ISTANBUL (AP) — Riot police fired tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets in day-long clashes that lasted into the early hours Wednesday, battling protesters who have been occupying Istanbul's central Taksim Square and its adjacent Gezi Park in the country's most severe anti-government protests in decades.
The crisis has left Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan looking vulnerable for the first time in his decade in power and has threatened to tarnish the international image of Turkey, a Muslim majority country with a strongly secular tradition, a burgeoning economy and close ties with the United States.
Throughout the protests, Erdogan has maintained a defiant tone, insisting he would not be bowed by what he described as a vocal minority. On Tuesday, as police clashed with protesters in Taksim, he insisted again that the unrest was part of a conspiracy against his government.
More...
Meanwhile,
On Tuesday evening, National Security Council Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden issued a statement on behalf of the White House, saying:
"We continue to follow events in Turkey with concern, and our interest remains supporting freedom of expression and assembly, including the right to peaceful protest. We are concerned by any attempts to punish individuals for exercising their right to free speech, as well as attempts by any party to provoke violence."
Blah, blah, blah... Wonder how Obama's going to
not handle this now that one of his buddies is facing the Arab Spring.
