Rashad Shirin | Radboud University Nijmegen (original) (raw)

Papers by Rashad Shirin

This page was generated automatically upon download from the ETH Zurich Research Collection. For ... more This page was generated automatically upon download from the ETH Zurich Research Collection. For more information, please consult the Terms of use. www.css.ethz.ch/cad PROTESTS IN AZERBAIJAN N a g o rn o-K a ra b a k h Adjara South Ossetia A b k h a z i a analytical No. 46

Azerbaijan's initial preference for the West has evolved into efforts to balance among the establ... more Azerbaijan's initial preference for the West has evolved into efforts to balance among the established democracies, Russia, and Iran. The growth of the country's energy wealth has given the country's elite greater confidence that they can pursue an independent foreign policy course. The most symbolic manifestation of this new policy was the decision to join the non-aligned movement.

Azerbaijan's sixth presidential election since independence, held on 9 October 2013, was again ne... more Azerbaijan's sixth presidential election since independence, held on 9 October 2013, was again neither free nor fair. It granted President Ilham Aliyev his third term after term limits had been eliminated by a referendum in 2009. However, the election itself passed essentially unnoticed because the media completely ignored the opposition and the incumbent refused to campaign. This situation left the citizenry uninformed about political developments in the country and particularly about the activities of the opposition. In addition, the permanent repression and violation of human rights has created a climate in which the citizenry is not (and has no willingness to be) involved in politics. The status quo is here to stay.

74 Shirinov , Azerbaijan I makes sense to divide Azerbaijani policy towards the eu into two major... more 74 Shirinov , Azerbaijan I makes sense to divide Azerbaijani policy towards the eu into two major periods. The first encompasses Azerbaijan’s early independence when the ruling elite – which has changed only once throughout the period since independence in 1993 – was extremely vulnerable because of the immaturity of the economy and constant threats from larger neighbors. This first period lasted ten years after the coup d’état that brought former kgb boss Haydar Aliyev to power. During this time Azerbaijan strove towards rapprochement with Euro-Atlantic institutions, which can be explained partly by the vision of Haydar Aliyev, and partly by the economic insecurity of the young Azerbaijani state. The Azerbaijan authorities were very sensitive to changing moods in Brussels and Strasbourg, and listened attentively to eu reactions and statements. When Haydar Aliyev’s son Ilham became president in 2003, however, relations between Azerbaijan and the eu took a different turn. The Azerbaij...

Azerbaijan's initial preference for the West has evolved into efforts to balance among the es... more Azerbaijan's initial preference for the West has evolved into efforts to balance among the established democ - racies, Russia, and Iran. The growth of the country's energy wealth has given the country's elite greater con - fidence that they can pursue an independent foreign policy course. The most symbolic manifestation of this new policy was the decision to join the non-aligned movement.

Karl Marx used to say that history repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. In line wit... more Karl Marx used to say that history repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. In line with this, the entire recent idea of a missile defense shield that the US has been willing to install in Eastern Europe is reminiscent of that of the Cold War era, when two major superpowers were targeting their strategic missiles towards each other. And although in 1972 both global powers agreed on not using anti-ballistic missiles, after two decades US had reexamined its thinking on the issue. The United States has decided to deploy radars and interceptors in the Czech Republic and Poland as part of a missile defense shield against possible Iranian or North Korean attacks. From the very start, Russia has been seeing the shield as directed towards itself. However, it doesn't look like the installation of an American missile defense shield in Europe would lead to a major security crisis between the US and Russia since there is sufficient evidence of softening tensions as US-Russian high...

Azerbaijan's sixth presidential election since independence, held on 9 October 2013, was agai... more Azerbaijan's sixth presidential election since independence, held on 9 October 2013, was again neither free nor fair. It granted President Ilham Aliyev his third term after term limits had been eliminated by a referen- dum in 2009. However, the election itself passed essentially unnoticed because the media completely ignored the opposition and the incumbent refused to campaign. This situation left the citizenry uninformed about political developments in the country and particularly about the activities of the opposition. In addition, the permanent repression and violation of human rights has created a climate in which the citizenry is not (and has no willingness to be) involved in politics. The status quo is here to stay. Background On October 9, 2013 Azerbaijan conducted its sixth presidential elections since gaining independence. The elections have been heavily criticized by domestic and international observers as having failed to meet inter- national standards and the Azerbai...