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Does it pay to be America’s friend?

Politics Materials 26 January 2015 11:37 (UTC +04:00)
The United States does not have many friends outside the tight-knit alliance of Western European nations and Canada
Does it pay to be America’s friend?

By Claude Salhani- Trend:

The United States does not have many friends outside the tight-knit alliance of Western European nations and Canada. Sure, it has influence and can apply political pressure, flex a few muscles here, call in a favor there, but few are the countries it can really call friends. Yet when one country falls like a ripe fruit off a tree unto Uncle Sam's laps, more often than not, somehow Washington manages to estrange itself from that potential ally. Such is the case with Azerbaijan.

Nonetheless, when a particular country can become a US ally, Washington somehow manages to distant itself from this potential ally.

Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, part of the USSR for seven decades, could be the U.S.'s ideal friend in the greater Middle East/Caspian region. It is a nation with a majority-Turkic and majority-Shia Muslim population - yet one that is ardently secular, and pro-West. A shinning example of how other Muslim countries should be, give or take a few voices of discontent.

Slightly smaller than Maine, it is strategically located on the Caspian Sea, sandwiched between Iran to the south, Russia to the north, Georgia and Armenia to the west. Azerbaijan is an important oil and natural gas producer. As such it is one of the richest countries in the region and does not need to be supported or propped up financially by the United States or the European Union. This makes it an even more strategically important ally.

Its currency, the manat, is one of the sturdiest in the world. When other currencies lost their value to the dollar, the euro and the yen in the last couple of years, the manat remained steady as a rock. In the streets of the capital Baku people are always glad to welcome Americans.

In short Azerbaijanis have the perfect profile to be the perfect friend United States needs in this tumultuous region. The feeling however here is that this is not a mutual feeling. Azerbaijan feels it has given far more than it has received from the United States. Baku has avoided falling under the influence of Moscow as other former Soviet republics have. Russian influence is still very prominent here with Russian still very widely spoken.

It has supported the war on terror and contributed troops to Afghanistan, despite having its own conflict with Armenia to worry about. Azerbaijani peacemaking units were part of peacekeeping missions in Kosovo in 1999-2008 and in Iraq in 2003-2008. In 2002, Azerbaijan started the same mission in Afghanistan, where Azerbaijani soldiers continue to serve. Azerbaijan has opened its air space and is using its air transport infrastructure, assisting the NATO military contingent in Afghanistan.

It enjoys strong relations with Israel, with whom it has several lucrative defense contracts. But the government here feels it is the target of dual standards, where the West says one thing and does another. Human rights, for example, is a very sensitive topic. The government accuses foreign embassies in Baku of funneling funds to opposition groups. Are there human rights abuses in the country?

People have been recently talking about the violation of human rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan, and that various newspapers, NGOs are being closed. People also talk a lot about the recent closing of the office of Radio Liberty in Baku. However, Baku considers all these accusations baseless and biased, stressing that all these measures are conducted as part of investigating criminal cases.

Among the pet peeves here is the notion that the country is to ignore its own national interest in the interest of U.S. interests in the region. For example, what is often heard here in political circles is that Azerbaijan must not pursue its own destiny but rather heed the words dictated by Washington. Topping the list of complaints aimed at Washington are the ones dealing with the very touchy subject of the territories occupied by neighboring Armenia, among them Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Azerbaijan must accept any decision. Azerbaijan`s foreign policy must fully meet America`s wishes and demands, and the Department of State must decide how Azerbaijan will build its relations with other countries. The right to elect government must belong to the White House rather than the people of Azerbaijan," voiced a local newspaper last week.
This is a completely wrong line of thought, say officials here. "The West must realize unequivocally that the people of Azerbaijan are 9.5 million citizens and 5 million voters rather than small groups financed by foreign funds.

"Some circles in the USA started to think that Azerbaijan chose the path of "ignoring" the West and its values, that Azerbaijan is neither interested in European integration, nor in developing its relations with Washington and its allies," says an article in a pro-government publication.

"Maybe this is what lies behind the growing number of treacherously written (or ordered) fictitious articles, which contradict the notion of partnership and simple ethical norms, in the Western media," added the paper.

One thing is clear - Washington is not going to find a better friend in the area. This is not an opportunity to be missed.
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Claude Salhani is senior editor with Trend Agency and a political analyst specializing in the greater Middle East and politicized Islam.

You can follow Claude on Twitter @claudesalhani.

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