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Istanbul Square Crackdown Shakes Erdogan's Regional Credibility
(Al-Monitor) Semih Idiz - The Gezi Park protests and the brutal police crackdown on the demonstrations in support of them has not only tarnished Turkey's credibility as an exemplary democracy once lauded as the "Turkish model," but has also diverted Ankara's attention away from critical developments in the Middle East, much to the delight of its regional rivals, most notably Iran. It is also clear to Iranian policy makers, who have made the continuation of the Assad regime a strategic imperative, that the turmoil in Turkey has also diminished Ankara's influence in rallying support for the Syrian opposition.