Amid Low Oil Prices, Azerbaijan Braces for Protests

As with many energy-exporting countries in the former Soviet Union, low global oil prices have hurt Azerbaijan, causing its economy to slow and its currency to tumble. And as oil prices continue to fall, protests are beginning to intensify. Led by long-serving President Ilham Aliyev, the government has a firm grip on power, but Azerbaijan will not be immune to instability if declining oil prices and the economic pain they bring continue. Protests across the country have been contained so far but will bear close watching if they grow and spread in the coming weeks.