The first comprehensive account of Azerbaijan's rich and tumultuous history up to the present time.

An east-west axis of Azerbaijan and Turkey has grown into prominence within the broader structure of regional dynamics in Eurasia over the past two decades. Yet few, including among policy advisors and policy makers in either of the two states, have attempted to look deeper into the forces that lie behind the workings of this important regional nexus, a reality that resulted in a dual crisis in bilateral relations towards the end of the second decade of interaction. This volume investigates the underlying causes that shaped the dynamics within the structure of the bilateral relationship between Azerbaijan and Turkey. It features chapters by both scholars from the region and international experts in the field, and therefore provides both in-house and outside perspectives on developments within the complex structure of the relationship. With its analysis portfolio including historical, political, economic, socio-cultural, ideological, and international underpinnings of this regional alliance, the volume offers the most systematic and broad ranged analysis of the matter available to date. The book will serve as an important resource for students and scholars of post-Soviet Studies, Central Asia and the Caucasus, and the Middle East, while also being of interest to those of International Relations and political science disciplines.

The Azerbaijani people have been divided between Iran and the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan for more than 150 years, yet they have retained their ethnic identity. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of an independent Azerbaijan have only served to reinforce their collective identity. In Borders and Brethren, Brenda Shaffer examines trends in Azerbaijani collective identity from the period of the Islamic Revolution in Iran through the Soviet breakup and the beginnings of the Republic of Azerbaijan (1979-2000). Challenging the mainstream view in contemporary Iranian studies, Shaffer argues that a distinctive Azerbaijani identity exists in Iran and that Azerbaijani ethnicity must be a part of studies of Iranian society and assessments of regime stability in Iran. She analyzes how Azerbaijanis have maintained their identity and how that identity has assumed different forms in the former Soviet Union and Iran. In addition to contributing to the study of ethnic identity, the book reveals the dilemmas of ethnic politics in Iran.

Frustrated Democracy in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan follows a newly independent oil-rich former Soviet republic as it adopts a Western model of democratic government and then turns toward corrupt authoritarianism. Audrey L. Altstadt begins with the Nagorno-Karabagh War (1988–1994) which triggered Azerbaijani nationalism and set the stage for the development of a democratic movement. Initially successful, this government soon succumbed to a coup. Western oil companies arrived and money flowed in—a quantity Altstadt calls "almost unimaginable"—causing the regime to resort to repression to maintain its power. Despite Azerbaijan's long tradition of secularism, political Islam emerged as an attractive alternative for those frustrated with the stifled democratic opposition and the lack of critique of the West's continued political interference. Altstadt's work draws on instances of censorship in the Azerbaijani press, research by embedded experts and nongovernmental and international organizations, and interviews with diplomats and businesspeople. The book is an essential companion to her earlier works, The Azerbaijani Turks: Power and Identity Under Russian Rule and The Politics of Culture in Soviet Azerbaijan, 1920–1940.

About the book: "Azerbaijani Turkic Alphabet and Numbers" book teaches Azerbaijani alphabet and numbers with fun illustrations. This bilingual book with its beautiful original drawings is an ideal gift to share with your special little one(s). About the author: Darya Hodaei, PharmD, is the author of this book. She is fluent in Azerbaijani, Turkish, English and Farsi (Persian) and began writing short stories when she was 9 years old. Growing up, she was deprived from having education in her own mother language (Azerbaijani). However, later in life she self-studied and learned how to write and read in her own native language when she became the mother of two young children. She saw how important it was for children to learn their own mother language in order to avoid identity problem in the future, a challenging issue she had experienced first-hand. As an immigrant parent she strongly believes preserving one's rich ethnic culture especially mother language is a fundamental part of upbringing. To fulfill her commitment to this end, she decided to create "EnglishAzerbaijani" platform using visual aids and Azerbaijani and English equivalents to help children in bi-lingual and multi-lingual environments with their language development. Later, she decided to start publishing her stories for kids in English and Azerbaijani as a step towards encouraging parents and promoting the value of education in mother language. Visit @englishazerbaijani on Instagram and Youtube to learn more about similar content.

This book describes the rise of national identity among the Azerbaijanis, following the 1905 Russian Revolution.

Published in association with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.