Turkey

After more than three weeks of anti-government protests, Turkey's leaders insist they will restore order and quickly bounce back from any damage to the country's economy or image abroad. The crisis comes at a delicate time for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He is in the midst of a fragile peace initiative with the Kurdish minority, dealing with an escalating war next door in Syria, and trying to convince parliament to strengthen the office of the president, which he is expected to run for as his final term as prime minister winds down.

Like many demonstrators in Istanbul, Turkish protester Ayse Ozdel shifted from apolitical student to active participant. Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin talks to Ozdel about what made her get involved.

After police broke up the protests in Turkey's Taksim Square over the weekend, a new protest has sprung up — but this one is still and silent. A lone man stood motionless in the square for six hours overnight, and soon many others decided to join the "standing man."

The anti-government protests taking place across Turkey have not bypassed Antakya, down near the Syrian border. Nightly marches and demonstrations take place in the majority Alawite part of the city, but the protesters are a mix of minority Alawites and majority Sunni Muslims. In addition to the common complaints that Prime Minister Erdogan is growing more autocratic, some are convinced that the government's policies are pulling Turkey into the Syrian crisis and they fear more violence like the bomb attacks that killed at least 51 people in a border town last month.

A plan to build on a small park in Istanbul's downtown Taksim Square prompted an outpouring of opposition to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. That led to clashes between police and protesters that have killed at least five people and injured hundreds.

Talking tough, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the situation at Taksim Square would be resolved in 24 hours.

As Tuesday night wore into Wednesday morning, Turkish riot police clashed with demonstrators in Istanbul's Taksim Square. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said, "for those who want to continue with the incidents I say: 'It's over.' As of now we have no tolerance for them."

If there is a jewel in the crown of the prime minister's decade in power, it's Turkey's enviable record of growth. But with protesters clogging downtown Istanbul, business owners say his failure to quickly calm things down has them nervous.

Among the many reasons for ongoing riots in Turkey: A recent law restricting the advertising and sale of alcohol. Secular Turks see the new rules as the latest effort by the ruling AK Party to impose religious values on the population.

When he arrives from a trip abroad, Recep Tayyip Erdogan will face an anti-government movement that has grown nationwide in recent days.