Azerbaijan's External Constraints

Azerbaijan's energy wealth and relative internal stability give it a greater flexibility than many of its neighbors and former Soviet counterparts. However, the region around Azerbaijan is geopolitically complex, so its larger and more powerful neighbors — Russia, Turkey and Iran — have more influence on Baku's strategy than Azerbaijan's immediate surroundings.

Although Azerbaijan has made some changes in its economic and security relations with several countries in recent years, these have occurred in the context of Azerbaijan's broader strategy of maintaining balance. Barring any crisis in the Caucasus or wider region, Azerbaijan's strategy is likely to continue focusing on balance in the foreseeable future.