Azerbaijan Wrestles with Rising Iranian Influence
by Zaur Shiriyev Azerbaijan’s government is growing increasingly concerned about what it sees as growing Iranian manipulation of the country’s Shia Muslim believers.
Azerbaijan
Neoconservative Delusions on Azerbaijan
by Eldar Mamedov If there is one feature for which neoconservatives are well known, it is their reckless disregard for reality, no matter how many times and how badly their policies have backfired–especially in the Middle East. This feature was… Continue Reading
The Many Languages of Islam in the Caucasus
by Rebecca Ruth Gould While visiting Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge towards the end of the second Chechen War (1999-2009), what struck me most was the large number of Christian graves that resembled Muslim tombstones. I was also struck by the Georgian inscriptions on… Continue Reading
Azerbaijan: Suffocation of NGOs Raises Questions About Donor Strategy
by Durna Safarova The Azerbaijani government has forced the local chapter of the global corruption watchdog Transparency International to scale back its activities in the South Caucasus nation. The move is part of a long-running crackdown on the country’s civil-society sector.… Continue Reading
Why Tehran Should Balance Its Relations with Baghdad and Irbil
by Shireen Hunter When the issue of a referendum in Kurdistan on its eventual independence from Iraq emerged, Iran expressed its concerns about the disintegrative dynamics that this act could set in motion not just in Iraq but throughout… Continue Reading