All of a sudden, some observers suggest that Azerbaijan and the United States may align on a shared strategic vision in Western Eurasia… At least, this is the perspective notably advanced by The National Interest, a prominent voice in the cognitive warfare discourse, which frames the objective as “containing Turkish Islamism, Iran’s radical Shiism, ” and the “aggressive northern neighbor, Russia”*…
However, the specific mechanisms — through which Azerbaijan is expected to contribute to this strategy — prudently remain undefined by the United States, with discussions confined to vague references to “close ties”:
“For the United States, it is even more critical that it forge closer ties with Azerbaijan, the one country in the world that has borders with both Russia and Iran. Doing so will not just help manage both our adversaries but also disrupt their efforts to tag-team against the West”*.
Azerbaijan would need to carefully assess the scope and implications of these “close ties” to ensure that the benefits outweigh the costs of countering Turkey, a nation with which Azerbaijan shares the “one nation, two states” principle; opposing — while being a “secular Shiite nation” — its Shiite neighbor Iran; and simultaneously confronting Russia.
Such a strategy would inevitably demand Azerbaijan’s near-total reliance on the United States, effectively transforming it into a geopolitical outpost akin to a Central Asian contingent of the U.S. Army.
* https://nationalinterest.org/blog/silk-road-rivalries/azerbaijan-western-eurasia-strategy
“Azerbaijan And U.S. Western Eurasia Strategy” (Kamran Bokhari, The National Interest, February 4, 2025).