1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910792967503321

Autore

Altstadt Audrey L. <1953->

Titolo

Frustrated democracy in post-Soviet Azerbaijan / / Audrey L. Altstadt

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Washington, District of Columbia ; ; New York : , : Woodrow Wilson Center Press : , : Columbia University Press, , 2017

©2017

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (346 pages) : illustrations, maps, tables

Disciplina

947.54086

Soggetti

Islam and politics - Azerbaijan - History

Geopolitics - Azerbaijan - History

Petroleum industry and trade - Political aspects - Azerbaijan - History

Post-communism - Azerbaijan - History

Democracy - Azerbaijan - History

Political corruption - Azerbaijan - History

Authoritarianism - Azerbaijan - History

Azerbaijan Politics and government 1991-

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Maps and Tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Notes on Languages and Spelling -- Acronyms and Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1. A Starting Point: History and Geopolitics and What They Tell Us -- 2. The Open Wound: Mountainous Karabagh and National Consciousness -- 3. Azerbaijan's Best and Brightest: The Rise, Decline, and Renewal of the Democratic Opposition -- 4. Oil Lifts All Boats? Social and Economic Repercussions and the Rise of Corruption -- 5. Jail for the "Donkey Bloggers": Crushing Youth Activism, Human Rights, and a Free Media -- 6. Allah-u Akbar: Islam in Azerbaijan- Piety, Politics, and the Future -- 7. What's Next? The Choices Ahead -- Notes -- Selected Bibliography of Major Sources -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

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.