Atop the Mast: the flag of Azerbaijan.
On the Yardarm: the flags of Israel and Iran.
The Mast welcomes you to Azerbaijan, once part of the Persian Empire, later the Russian Empire, then the Soviet Union until it broke up in 1990. Independent since then, Azerbaijan has geopolitical significance as it sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and is bordered by Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the Caspian Sea. Also, Azerbaijan has significant oil and natural gas resources, of which it is a key supplier to Europe, thus helping the U.S. support European energy independence from Russia. Moreover, Azerbaijan has close military and intelligence cooperation with Israel, in part to counter the influence of their common enemy, Iran.
And in a celebrated White House meeting last month, Azerbaijan signed a peace deal with its neighbor and longtime adversary, Armenia. Although many details have yet to be ironed out, the agreement could be historic. “Almost 35 years of conflict, failed talks, and collapsed agreements have left both societies deeply skeptical,” says an analyst for the Carnegie Endowment’s Russia Eurasia Center. “And yet, this moment may finally mark the beginning of something different.”
The agreement resolves a lingering dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave until 2023, when Azerbaijan took it over in a one-day military operation and forced a complete exodus of the Armenian population. In effect, Armenia has agreed to give up its territorial claims in exchange for Azerbaijan renouncing the use of force against Armenia.
The deal creates a potentially profitable strategic trade corridor that passes through both countries. It’s a path from Central Asia to Turkey and its Mediterranean ports, a path that until now has been controlled by Russia and Iran. The rail, pipeline and communication corridor will be branded the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (Tripp).
Would you expect anything else?
But the honor is not entirely undeserved. “The Joe Biden administration had tried and failed to close the deal” between Azerbaijan and Armenia, according to Carnegie’s analyst, but “Biden’s personal appeal in late 2024 fell short. The change of administration shifted the dynamic. Trump’s team, eager to present him as a global peacemaker and Nobel Peace Prize contender, elevated the talks to a priority.” Citing this deal, the White House was quick to declare Trump “the President of Peace,” noting other agreements negotiated during his first term and so far in his second between Cambodia and Thailand, Israel and Iran, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India and Pakistan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo.
Azerbaijan officially calls itself a democracy, but international observers view the nation as authoritarian due to its serious electoral irregularities, ballot stuffing, disqualification of opposition parties, heavy restrictions on independent media, and imprisonment of journalists and activists. For America, the nation presents the classic tension between realpolitik (energy and security needs) and a values-based policy (promoting democracy). While past Democratic presidents have tried to promote democracy in nations such as Azerbaijan, the present U.S. administration likely will instead focus on the energy and security benefits of working with Azerbaijan. President Trump recently helped Azerbaijan and Armenia reach a peace agreement after many decades of conflict.
Consider a visit to its capital, Baku, which has a unique mix of ancient history and ultra-modern design, and a culture that merges Persian, Turkish, and Russian influences in its food, music and daily life. Baku is the largest city in the Caucasus and the largest port on the Caspian Sea. Take a fun nine-minute video tour of the City of Flames.
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