Heydar Aliyev and the Foundations of Modern Azerbaijan

This edited book examines and analyses Heydar Aliyev, the architect and founder of modern, post-Soviet Azerbaijan. The editors of the volume discuss developments between 1993 and 2003 - a decade that saw the establishment of the institutional foundations of the current republic, the adoption of a new form of national identity, the redefinition of the concept of the Azerbaijani state, and the creation of a security establishment designed to gain control of territories Armenia had held since the 1988-1994 war over Karabakh. The book explains why this fateful period had far-reaching consequences for Azerbaijan as a fully formed state and society, as well as major implications for its political future and its geopolitical strategy.

M. HAKAN YAVUZ is Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah, USA.

MICHAEL M. GUNTER is Professor of Political Science at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee, USA.