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November 6, 2005

Azerbaijan: Poverty, Politics and Radical Islam

The country of Azerbaijan lies in the Caucasus, adjoining the Federation of Russian states, and close to Chechnya and other regions which are in conflicts caused by Islamic insurgents. It also shares borders with Iran. Its capital, Baku lies on the shores of the Caspian Sea, formerly a thriving port. But trade across the Caspian has dropped, and the country's people are descending into poverty. The land of Azerbaijan was known as the "land of fire", sacred to the Zoroastrians who revered the flames which gushed from cracks in rocks, a visible manifestation of the vast reserves of oil and gas which lie beneath its surface.

But according to the BBC, the country's population is mired in poverty, and in this climate of poverty, the population which is already mostly Muslim, is turning to radical Islam. Officials say the country is being infiltrated by Islamists from Chechnya and Iran, and radicalism is a threat.

A political scientist, Arif Yusunov, has said that the reasons for the rise of radical Islam lie in the poverty that besets those outside the oil-wealthy capital of Baku, and the lack of democratic reform.

The BBC quotes Ilgar Ibrahimogli, an Imam and civil right activist. "The government is playing a dangerous game.They try to stick a label of radicalism on everyone, and by that they are marginalising a lot of people." Ibrahimogli is regarded as a radical by the government, and three times his congregation have had to change location, after being evicted from their mosque.

The elections for this democratic ally of the US have taken place today, and according to Reuters, the ruling party of Yeni Azerbaijan, led by the incumbent, President Ilham Aliyev (pictured) has already met its target quota of seats, and has thereby won the election. The elections have been monitored by 40 teams supervised by the US embassy, states Interfax, the Russian news agency. Already opposition party members have claimed that the polls have been rigged, according to the New York Times (subscription site).

The Telegraph claims that the country is still led by the policies instituted by Heidar Aliyev, father of Ilham Aliyev, who died two years ago in December. The old man's statues abound, and the younger President allowed his father's associates to continue in their positions of privilege.

Azerbaijan is one of only two Muslim countries to send troops to Iraq, and is regarded as an ally in the War on Terror. US and UK petroleum industries feel the continuation of the current system will benefit their interests. A favourite saying amongst the oil men is "Azerbaijan may be a banana republic, but it is a banana republic we can do business with."

A large pipeline which snakes through Georgia and into Turkey will take oil from the Caspian Sea to the West, in a project managed by BP. Though of little relevance, a beautiful satellite picture of Azerbaijan can be found here, taken by NASA in 2003.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at November 6, 2005 6:52 PM

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