Azerbaijan

Through the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, this article challenges “peace at all costs,” revealing how authoritarian peace becomes institutionalized at the expense of justice and public participation.

A new wave of Azerbaijani migration is taking shape in Berlin - politically engaged, largely left-leaning, and critical of both the regime and the opposition back home. Unlike earlier migrants, they do not identify with traditional diaspora structures nor fully align with existing dissident circles. Their community remains fragile, shaped by legal precarity and the psychological toll of exile. Yet there are signs that an 'alternative Azerbaijani diaspora' - one defined more by shared values than by nationality - is emerging.

Independent media in the South Caucasus faces pressure, disinformation and funding cuts. Read our latest on the struggles - and resilience - of media in the region.

На фоне все более сужающегося пространства свободы слова и ужесточившихся репрессий против независимых медиа в Азербайджане единственным способом продолжать свою деятельность становится эмиграция и работа в изгнании. Но делать это для них – совершенно новая реальность, непонятная и пугающая. 

In the face of increasingly shrinking space for freedom of speech and tightening repressions against independent media in Azerbaijan, the only way for them to continue their activity is immigration and working in exile. But to do this means adapting to an entirely new reality, frightening and complex. 

In this article, the author examines the role of masculine governmentality in sustaining President Aliyev's authoritarian traditionalism through a poststructuralist feminist lens.

For the Azerbaijani regime, hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku represents a chance to obscure its poor climate record and relentless attacks on civil society. In reality, the government seems far more interested in capitalizing on rising fossil-fuel demand than in combating global warming.

Trans men in Azerbaijan face severe challenges when trying to express their gender identity. In an environment where society, especially their families, finds it difficult to accept them, leading their daily lives becomes a significant problem. They struggle to survive independently while confronting both legal and social obstacles.

This article examines the critical issue of public participation in environmental governance in Azerbaijan, focusing on the intricate relationship between environmental procedural rights and political repression, particularly in the context of the country hosting COP29, the UN Climate Change Conference.

On June 3, the law "On Transparency of Foreign Influence", often referred to as the "foreign agents law", was signed into force in Georgia. Numerous critics both inside the country and in the West hold that the law will decimate civil society and bring about the beginning of the end of Georgian democracy. Their neighbors in the region are no less concerned about the situation than the Georgians themselves.

The psychological trauma inflicted on Azerbaijani society by the Karabakh conflict has not yet been processed; moreover, it has not been fully realized. The return of territories not only failed to heal these injuries but apparently sparked new fears in society.

Карабахский конфликт нанес азербайджанскому обществу психологические травмы, не только до сих пор не проработанные, но даже толком не осознанные. И даже с возвращением территорий, давшимся ценой новой войны, общество не только не излечилось, но, похоже, приобрело новую фобию.  

While the impact of war and militarism is often studied in relation to women, this article looks at the relationship of toxic masculinity, militarism, homonationalism, and queerness in Azerbaijan in the context of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

As the host country of COP29, authoritarian Azerbaijan wants to improve its international reputation and secure financing for the modernization of its energy sector. How should democratic states and international civil society approach the next COP?

In December 2023, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev surprisingly announced snap presidential elections. Accordingly, Azerbaijani voters will go to the polls on February 7 instead of April 2025. In their analysis, Hamida Giyasbayli provides insights into the complex domestic and foreign policy background of these elections, which clearly signal one thing: the consolidation of authoritarian power.

The process of linguistic decolonization had intensified in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In the former Soviet states, this means a rejection of the Russian language in favour of their national languages.

Over 50,000 Armenians have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia following Azerbaijan's recent military offensive. Despite ongoing negotiations, further escalations could follow. What options do Germany and the EU have?

The article sheds light upon the cultural heritage left behind by mosaic artists of Soviet Azerbaijan. In this study, the authors focus on the existing Soviet mosaics in Baku and briefly discuss some works that did not stand the test of time.

The feminist movement and the LGBTQ+ community represent marginalized populations in Azerbaijan - they experience social, political, and economic discrimination and exclusion.