Riot police looked on from the fringes as crowds mingled late into the night, some protesters chanting and dancing, others applauding a concert pianist who took up residence with a grand piano in the middle of the square.

Tattersall, Nick and Jonathon Burch.  “Turkish protesters party in square despite ruling party call.”  Reuters, June 12, 2013.

From the same article: “Erdogan has accused foreign forces, international media and market speculators of stoking conflict and trying to undermine the economy of the only largely Muslim NATO state.”

Setting aside that mouthful I call “Facsimile Bipolar Political Sociopathy (FBPS)”, which may deal too much with motivation and personality and too little with “cognitive style” I’m starting to think autocrats internally muddled, unable to deal with criticism, open processes — including for Taksim Square specifically, urban development and land use planning — and the possibility that they themselves are a little bit a part of larger political and social issues.

American analog – Erdogan / Taksim: Nixon / Woodstock.

The Turkish youth are okay, and perhaps so is the state’s middle class.

Additional Reference

BBC.  “Turkey protests: Erdogan in ‘final’ warning.”  June 13, 2013.

Hacaoglu, Selcan and Ben Holland.  “Istanbul Protesters Hear Piano Concert as Calm Returns.”  Bloomberg Business Week, June 13, 2012.