INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
truth often obscured by geopolitical posturing: the stronger Iran and Azerbaijan grow as partners, the weaker external efforts to pit them
against one another become
Persianate cultural legacies stretching back centuries.The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict revealed the limits of this divide-and-rule
stance that resonated in Baku as reconstruction challenges mounted
Her work, notably the 2002 book Borders and Brethren, has long been weaponized to frame Azerbaijani identity in opposition to Iran,
narrow ethnic and racial divisions
Imposing a European framework to interpret Iran not only misrepresents its rich cultural tapestry but also undermines any credible analysis
His meetings with President Ilham Aliyev emphasized cultural synergy.From friction to pragmatism: Security beyond proxiesSkeptics often cite
Yet both nations have deliberately sidestepped such flare-ups to prioritize shared interests.Collaboration on border security,
counterterrorism, and other issues reflects a pragmatic understanding: regional stability cannot be outsourced.For Azerbaijan, this
partnership reduces dependence on Turkish and Israeli security guarantees, bolstering its autonomy.For Iran, it secures its northwestern
infrastructure, such as expanding the North-South Transport Corridor to connect the Caucasus to the Persian Gulf, threatens to marginalize
The Caucasus no longer needs translators
In Baku and Tehran, the future is being written in a language of kinship that outsiders struggle to comprehend.
This article first appeared/also appeared in Tehran Times
