As Syria’s brutal al-Assad regime continues to massacre civilians, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has secured a third term in office, with his Justice and Development Party building on the last term’s success and increasing its majority to 50% from 47%.

Some, particularly the liberals of Turkey, believe that Erdogan’s Islamic based party, suppresses democracy. But many in Turkey, and also abroad, see the governing party as having a stabilising influence on the troubled Middle Eastern and restive Russian regions. One must also mention that Turkey has Iraq on its doorstep and all the failures of US and British intervention in the area, and all that came with it.

Mr Erdogan’s party has fallen short on the number of seats needed to institute a change to the Constitution, but it is a strong mandate nonetheless, considering also that a military coup was being plotted against the party some years back.

But Syria is where the real democratic test lies. One of the major issues which has divided opinion on Turkey is its stance on a unified Cyprus. Turkey had launched an invasion of the island when a military coup was plotted by Athens’ sympathisers.

The issue is still divisive in Cyprus itself, but it has proved to be a stumbling block for negotiations for Turkey to join the European Union. But that is not all. Turkey also has to deal with Kurdish dissent in its outlying tribal regions. It also has to deal with criticism of its military and its law enforcement agencies in terms of human rights.

Many Turks also complain that civil liberties are curbed and that the country is not a ‘true democracy’. This is a term that has become hard to define, given the current wave of protests around the world, but at first glance, it is clear that Turkey still has more to do in this regard.

And this is where people have a choice. In countries such as Libya, Syria and Bahrain, the choice is simple: Risk your life to protest on the streets, or put up and shut up. Europe is not immune to protests. Greece has one almost daily, while the Spanish and the Portuguese are also marching and camping.

But in Turkey, one can voice dissent and one can protest, just as one can in Europe.

But Turkey’s real problem is in the blogosphere and the media. Journalists are still harassed and corruption is present. As we have already mentioned, Turkey is a buffer between Europe and a protesting Middle East. The country has the opportunity to show what it believes to be democracy and politics in this crisis. The Turkish Government had the courage to decry al-Assad’s atrocities and opened its border to thousands of refugees seeking to escape the carnage.

This is all positive. But Turkey’s true challenge lies at home. While it will do all it can to persuade Europe that this stable Middle Eastern nation is a valuable ally and trade partner within the EU, this will all count for nothing unless problems at home (and with Cyprus) are not solved. Turkey has a golden opportunity to shine, but when expectations are high, it is easy to disappoint and come crashing down with a bang.