The international reactions to the latest events in Turkey took Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan much more by surprise than did the outpouring of social anger by elements of society that are increasingly wary of his government’s policies.

Those elements are clearly fed up with what they see as attempts at tampering with Turkey’s secular democracy by an increasingly authoritarian Erdogan, who is believed to be using the 50% of the votes he got in the June 2011 general elections to push an Islamic agenda.

Under normal circumstances Erdogan would have used this strong mandate to belittle the protesters and disregard their demands, while continuing with his heavy-handed tactics against them, especially after having labeled them as a “capulcu,” (Turkish for pillaging and looting louts). The massive international focus on his handling of the Gezi Park protests, however, caught him unawares, throwing him off balance and clouding his judgment.

Erdogan is faced with crucial questions concerning his democratic credentials at a time when his advisers have been keen to create the impression that he is introducing advanced democracy to Turkey. That international investors are expressing concerns about what all of this means for the country’s future is also deeply disturbing for members of Erdogan’s government, given the massive infrastructure projects worth billions of dollars that are on Ankara’s agenda.