Rufat Ahmadzada, at The Blogs

Nov 19, 2019, 4:08 PM

CAN 2020 PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS BE A TURNING POINT IN AZERBAIJAN?

POST ELECTION MOVES WILL BE CRUCIAL Parliamentary elections are due to take place in Azerbaijan next year. Considering that almost all elections have been rigged since the independence of the country, it would be naive to expect that President...

Nov 18, 2019, 6:15 PM

Iran protests are movement for freedom and democracy

The protests in Iran are not only an expression of public anger at increased gasoline prices. The growing demonstrations almost in every city and town show that Iranians are fed up with four decades of the regime’s failed economic...

Nov 4, 2019, 4:23 PM

Anti-government protesters stand on barriers set up by Iraqi security forces to close the Joumhouriya Bridge leading to the Green Zone government area, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Stability and prosperity in the Middle East linked to change in Iran

Oct 20, 2019, 11:32 PM

Economic and social frustration spills onto Baku’s streets

On 19 October, Azerbaijani opposition group the National Council tried to organise a rally in the centre of Baku to highlight corruption and economic and social issues. The authorities warned that the rally was unsanctioned and would be dispersed...

Oct 11, 2019, 9:03 AM

What next for the Kurds in the Middle East?

KURDISH POLITICS AND RECENT SETBACKS: As Turkish President Erdogan’s northern Syria offensive goes ahead, the future of Kurdish politics in the Middle East is uncertain. Having suffered strong setbacks, the Kurds are facing a dilemma regarding their political aspirations in...

Sep 27, 2019, 2:20 AM

A lost opportunity: The contract of the centuray and Azerbaijan

Twenty-five years have passed since the signing of a major contract between the government of Azerbaijan and a consortium of Western oil companies on the development of oil reserves in the Caspian Sea. Dubbed the contract of the century...

Aug 19, 2019, 5:46 PM

Azerbaijani politician aiming to challenge ruling regime

Can Ilgar Mammadov change the old political structure in Azerbaijan? Ilgar Mammadov's arrest in February 2013 was clearly an attempt by the Aliyev regime to neutralise him ahead of the October presidential elections that year. The charges against him were...

Aug 10, 2019, 1:18 PM

Azerbaijan and the changes in Armenia

The political processes that resulted in the sacking of the Sarkisian regime in the face of pressure from the Armenian people’s movement and the election as prime minister of the leader of the Popular Movement, Nikol Pashinyan, have led...

Jun 28, 2019, 3:03 PM

Comparative Analysis of Democracy Promotion Outcomes in Georgia and Azerbaijan

Major Factors in Democracy Promotion Outcomes in Georgia and Azerbaijan: Similarities and Differences While the situation in these neighbouring countries may appear to have been very similar in 2003, if we look a little deeper we can see several key...

Jun 25, 2019, 8:34 PM

Great Dashnakia: Armenians’ territorial claims

I publish below an article by British journalist Mr Scotland Liddell who was in Baku towards the end of World War One. The piece is datelined Baku, January 5, and was originally published in The Scotsman on Monday, March...

About Me

A native of Azerbaijan, I write extensively on political developments in the Caucasus, Iran and the Middle East, including for the website www.astna.biz. I have a Masters' degree in International Politics & Human Rights from City, University of London.