Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s list of international supporters is dwindling, and he can strike another off the list now that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has joined the chorus calling for Assad’s resignation. In a strongly worded statement, Erdogan invoked some striking figures from recent and more distant world history to back up his advice to Syria’s embattled leader. –KA

The New York Times:

“Just remove yourself from that seat before shedding more blood, before torturing more and for the welfare of your country, as well as the region,” Mr. Erdogan said of Mr. Assad in a televised statement at his party meeting in Ankara.

“It is not heroism to fight against your own people,” Mr. Erdogan said. “If you want to see someone, who has fought against his own people, look at Nazi Germany, Hitler, Mussolini, Ceausescu of Romania. If you do not learn your lesson from them, look at the Libyan leader, who pointed his gun against his own people and, only 32 days ago, got killed in a way that none of us desired, after using the same phrases that you use.”

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