Protesters in Jordan continued calling for an end to King Abdullah II’s regime for the second straight day on Friday, as 2,000 people gathered in downtown Amman to protest price increases and subsidy cuts. On November 15, nearly 4,000 protesters in Amman adopted the unofficial slogan of uprisings across the Arab world for the first time: “The people want the downfall of the regime.”

Protests turned violent earlier this week, as people opposed to price increases and subsidy cuts clashed with police. Wednesday’s demonstrations resulted in the first protest-related death Jordan has experienced since uprisings began around the Arab world in early 2011.

Jordan’s protests have mostly been driven by economic grievances, rather than political. King Abdullah is generally well-liked, and he has made an effort to accommodate reformers’ requests, though critics say he’s moved too slowly. For example, in August, he accepted constitutional reforms placing some limits on his power. Subsidies are another important tool the regime uses to stop serious protests from breaking out, but a budget shortfall of almost $3 billion is forcing the government to make cuts. Corporate tax rates were expected to increase, businesses’ electricity rates went up, the price of high-octane gasoline climbed 25 percent, and subsidies for cooking oil and other fuels have been cut.

Though the government has fairly strong institutions, which some argue may prevent regime collapse, the demographic makeup of Jordan is similar to that of other Arab countries that have faced serious unrest and should be a cause for concern. Namely, it is a young country — almost 70 percent of the population is less than 30 years old — with a youth unemployment rate approaching 28 percent. In addition, over 14 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and it is home to almost 3 million Palestinian refugees.

Demographics are not the sole factor to determine whether protesters’ goals shift from reform to revolution, of course, but they play an important role. There is no guarantee Jordan is heading down the path countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen have traveled, but the outbreak of violence is worrying.

– Greg Noth

Turkey, which has the unique distinction of being Syria’s neighbor and a NATO member, is escalating its call for international involvement in the Syrian crisis. Though it had previously been involved in training and arming the rebels (who use their territory as a base), it today reiterated its call for international intervention inside Syrian borders:

Turkey urged the United Nations on Wednesday to protect displaced Syrians inside their country but President Bashar al-Assad, battling rebels determined to overthrow him, dismissed talk of a buffer zone on Syrian territory.

Ankara fears a mass influx such as the flight of half a million Iraqi Kurds into Turkey after the 1991 Gulf War, and has floated the idea of a “safe zone” under foreign protection within Syria for civilians fleeing intensifying violence.

“We expect the United Nations to engage on the topic of protecting refugees inside Syria and if possible sheltering them in camps there,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

France has supported Turkey’s call for a safe zone in Syria, and pressure for action increased after the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday Syria’s refugee exodus was accelerating. Up to 200,000 people could settle in Turkey alone if the conflict worsens, the UNHCR said.

While Turkey frames the issue as refugee protection, it’s very clear this would be a significant military operation — the notion of “safe zones” inside Syrian territory have been the key policy advocated by supporters of intervention against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey’s principal concern is most likely limiting refugee flows into its own territory, which have escalated significantly in recent months as the conflict has:

The waves of refugees fleeing Dara’a, the Damascus suburbs, Aleppo and the Idlib region near Turkey in recent days have provided a barometer of the escalating violence in the 18-month-old conflict, in which neither the government of President Bashar al-Assad nor the opposition seems capable of striking a decisive blow.

[A U.N. spokesperson] said the number of refugees escaping to Turkey had multiplied to 5,000 a day from 400 or 500 daily several weeks ago. In the past 24 hours, she said, 3,000 people had entered Turkey, with 10,000 more waiting.

In Turkey, which had said it would not accept more than 100,000 refugees, officials said they had revised the number to 120,000, and were preparing contingency plans for more.

Speaking about the conflict, Assad told his state run TV station today that “[the army] definitely needs time to bring it to a decisive end. But I can sum it up in one sentence: we’re heading forward.” Meanwhile, his air force has stepped up strikes against rebel forces without much regard for civilian casualties.