How Azerbaijan Is Coping With Crisis

Azerbaijan is trying to weather two separate but interrelated crises. The large-scale drop in global oil prices and the standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine are defining the country's energy industry and broader strategic position. Baku is trying to take advantage of its increasing attractiveness as an alternative energy source to the Europeans, putting it in a better position than most other regional energy producers. However, Baku will still come under financial and political constraints in its decision-making on the energy projects it pursues and the diplomatic maneuvering this will entail.