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Joern Haufe / dapd via AP, file
The $350 million Flame Towers are due to be officially opened in the center of Baku, Azerbaijan, later this spring. A secular dictatorship with a long border with Iran, Azerbaijan is one of the few remaining countries than can act as a reliable listening post for America and Israel.
A Soviet-legacy oil nation is emerging as a hotbed of global espionage as tension escalates between Israel and Iran.
Azerbaijan, which links Russia to the Middle East, has strategic importance as a bridgehead for the West in its war of diplomacy with Tehran.
A secular dictatorship with a long border with Iran, it is one of the few remaining countries than can act as a reliable listening post for America and Israel, turning its capital, Baku, into a hotbed of intelligence activity.
“Like Casablanca in World War II, Baku is now also a center of monitoring Iranian mischief,” Ariel Cohen, senior research fellow at the Washington-based Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, part of the Heritage Foundation, told msnbc.com. “This is understandable taking into account visa-free regime of travel between the two countries and aggressive Iranian intelligence tactics.”
NYT: US defines first move in new talks with Iran
Recent events have lifted the lid on some of the international maneuvering in Baku. In March, Azeri security services arrested 22 people they say were trained by Iran to carry out terrorist attacks against the US and Israeli embassies.
In January, two accused of plotting to kill teachers at a Jewish school were also held.
'The Israelis are more subtle'
Most experts agree there are many Mossad agents in Azerbaijan working for Israel.
“The Iranians act in the open, they want everyone to know that they are here,” Dr. Arastun Orujl, director of the east-West Research Center in Baku told Britain's Times newspaper. “The Israelis are more subtle, like the Americans. But in the end everyone knows they are here, too.”
Iran lawmaker: We can produce nuclear weapons
So why does Azerbaijan matter? Not only does its geography make it an ideal place for the U.S. and its allies to face down Tehran, but its political history entangles it in the current tensions with Israel.
Millions living in northern Iran are ethnic Azeris, theoretically binding the two nations. But Azerbaijan has allied itself increasingly with Israel and the West as it uses its oil wealth to leverage its global standing.
“It was one of the first countries to back America after 9/11,” Gerald Frost, director of the Paris-based Caspian Information Centre told msnbc.com. “It is as politically helpful to the West as its position close to the Middle East will allow. America needs to pay it close attention.”
While the country has made concessions to the West, it remains a dynastic dictatorship under the rule of Ilham Aliyev, who inherited power from father Heydar Aliyev, a former Soviet leader who reinvented himself as a nationalist during the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ilham took over in a 2003 election described by Human Rights Watch as “fraudulent” and which it said was “followed by protests that turned violent, plunging Azerbaijan into a human rights crisis from which it has not recovered”.
David W Cerny / Reuters
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev answers questions during a news conference in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 5.
Israel last year established a factory in Azerbaijan making parts for its military drones, and has supplied the country with $1.6 billion worth of military equipment.
The BBC reported Russia President Vladimir Putin "surprised Western leaders" in 2007 by offering to let America use its radar base in Azerbaijan to defend Europe against any missile attack from Iran.
Cohen says Iran has been trying undermine Azerbaijan's secular position in the hopes of turning it from a dictatorship into a theocracy, echoing the transition of countries such as Libya and Egypt that now appear destined to be ruled by conservative Islamists.
Mark Perry, in a Foreign Policy article titled "Israel’s Secret Staging Ground", claimed Obama administration officials now believe that the security cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel is actually "heightening the risks of an Israeli strike on Iran".
Azerbaijan has denied it would allow the U.S. or Israel to launch airstrikes, although Frost noted that it could provide associated support since it already allows the U.S. military into its airspace to reach Afghanistan and to evacuate injured troops.
While ties with Israel deepen, the future relationship with the United States is less clear because Washington does not currently have an ambassador in Baku. The last holder of the post, Matthew Bryza, left last year after his appointment was not confirmed by Congress, a decision Frost believes is likely to have been influenced by America's powerful Armenian lobby.
Cultural boom
Meanwhile, its strategic importance is being echoed in a cultural boom. Baku is enjoying a Dubai-style explosion of luxury hotels and designer fashion stores. "It is all very glitzy, very much reflecting the way Azeris want to be seen as an establish European-style country rather than a backwater," said Ben Illis, co-author of a new Time Out guide to Baku, which is due to be published next month.
It has launched a major tourism advertising campaign, and its ambitious bid to host the 2020 Olympic games found its way onto the IOC shortlist.
This spring is expected to see the unveiling of the $350 million Flame Towers – three glass-sided skyscrapers up to 620ft in height inspired by the country’s ancient association with fire. Human Rights Watch says “thousands of residents” have been forcibly evicted to make way for some of these projects.
However, billing itself as tourism destination may be a challenge for a country that still has a very poor human rights record and still is often confused with Kazakhstan, home of comic creation Borat.
An unlikely litmus test of its political ambitions will come next month when it hosts the Eurovision Song Contest, a live music competition beamed across Europe that is a byword for kitsch (it was once won by a transsexual representing Israel). Baku's bitter enemy, neighboring Armenia, pulled out of the contest in disgust when an Azeri duo won last year.
David Mdzinarishvili / Reuters, file
Eurovision Song Contest 2011 winners Eldar Gasimov (2nd left) and Nigar Jamal (2nd right), who are known as Ell-Nikki, are greeted by fans in Baku. Their victory means Baku will host this year's competition.
"This will perhaps be a good indication of how far the regime is prepared to go to further its relationship with the west," said James Nixey, of British think tank Chatham House.
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Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
Leave a Comment:
The female song winner is a "FOX". I wouldn't care what she sings.
"While the country has made concessions to the West, it remains a dynastic dictatorship under the rule of Ilham Aliyev, who inherited power from father Heydar Aliyev, a former Soviet leader who reinvented himself as a nationalist during the collapse of the Soviet Union."
The leader had better watch his back. A pro-western leader in an Islamic state would be someone that Obama might want to 'force out', like he did Mubarak in Egypt, so they can be replaced with an anti-American radical.
Sometimes you have to wonder who's side Obama is really on.
obamy if you read his own books,wants to make America a third rate country. He believes we are in power only because we stole the land and made his people(blacks) slaves. If he wins another term, we the people of this country are in dire straits and our friends, the few we do have may not want to be our friends again.
you know roy, sometimes you would be better served by connecting with reality than spouting political fantasy
Roy, I guess you can't make the distinction between a country that is predominately Muslim and an Islamic state. Also, you are a fool to think Mubarak was "pro western." He played both sides of the fence.
Indeed. Here is a quote from page 153, Dreams From My Father:
"...and one of the most heartfelt lessons I learned from growing up Muslim in Indonesia, is the role of poverty in developing character. I believe the destiny of the United States populace is to grow in character by experiencing the same sense of community inspired by poverty. Leadership should ensure that the United States is advanced from it's current position as a "shining city on the mountain," to garbage dump in the valley. Only when the nation's infrastructure is reduced, and the economy collapsed, can the New America take root, and rise from the ashes. A New America where people cooperate to provide basic services, like health care, and food. A New America, where we all depend on each other, and the Government..."
I just looked for all instances of either Indonesia or Muslim in the Dreams From My Father e-book, and can't find any passage like the one you've quoted. Are you sure you have the correct book and author?
No MisterGor, that is not from "Dreams From My Father."
Haha, googling that alleged passage only brings back a link to these comments, so it's obviously just an invented quote. Maybe it came form the yet to be published Delusions From The Right.
Want to document that? ...no? ...of course not. Gotta love that right-wing propaganda. By the way, I did read his book and it says nothing about making American a third rate country. You and the Koch brothers are doing a good enough job of that as it is.
Invented quote? Or a passage that was deemed too inflammatory by the editor and cut out? A quote that absurd has to be authentic, no? In any event, Newt Gingrich's new book Delusions From The Right (with introduction by Rush Limbaugh) is due out this spring. Don't miss it.
Rampant racism, as exhibited in comments above, along with completely false (FAUX) "information" is dragging our country's political process down.
The article is about Azerbaijan, so if you have no ideawhere (or what) this is, spout your Obama hate elsewhere, preferably among your "own kind" who care not for truth and facts, but are blinded by hatred of blacks and this country's half-black, half-white brilliant president.
I wish this article included more info about American and Russian intelligence gathering via Azerbaijan.
of course it's real, he just got it in an e-mail, how can it possibly be wrong?
ROFLMAO
Roy
You give Obama too much credit. His policy isn't to remove secular dictators from Islamist states like Egypt . He has no policy. He goes with the flow. He supported Mubarak until he was unsupportable. Same thing with Saleh. Ben Ali and likely the guy in Bahrain. There is no policy. It's called, whatever politics leads to winning reelection.
Ol doc You are very misinformed about the Koch bros. They provide jobs which pay better and have better benefits than ANY union job. They provide billions of dollars in revenue for my community. They pay more taxes then all the auto makers combined. Without them we would be a third world country.
George Soros who supports Obama is the devil in sheeps clothing. He manipulates economies, destroys companies, and cut the value of the british pound in half.
He put millions of dollars into the Obama campaign and he is not American. He wants a return on his investments, and Obama will oblige.
Are we that easily led into trusting a regime that seems motivated more by money than any sense of morality? Maybe they are so much like us it just comes naturally. Maybe a bit sarcastic, but maybe not so far from the truth either.
Interesting question. What are the alternatives for the US?
How about we stay out of it and let them fight their own damn battles over there?
"Are we that easily led into trusting a regime that seems motivated more by money than any sense of morality?"
Ummmmmmmmm. In a word.........YES!
If they chose "Morals" over "Money" they wouldn't fit in with our "Christian" politicians and we couldn't all be BFFs (welllll.....if its just for a year would that be BFYs? ).
HOTTICKET - I would completely agree with you except this time we're dealing with an ultra-radical government/country that appears to be developing a nuclear weapon. I think we need to be involved until that issue is resolved, eh?
There has been no proof that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon, must less "appears" to be.
US keeps stepping on the same rake over and over. Dynastic dictator, Ilham Aliev, is a perfect combination of Saddam and Gaddaffi. He is known for his racist rants against neighboring Armenia and is an enemy of ordinary Azeris. Instead of making a deal with a devil, US should support democratic inspirations of Azeri people that deserve to have have a elected president that cares about basic human rights. Bus as usually, we are getting into a bed with blood dirty dictators for financial and geopolitical reasons. Topple him now and earn the respect of Azeri people, rather then when he spills more blood.
You may be right. But American national security, as well as that of our allies, cannot be repeatedly threatened without consequence. We might not be the greatest example of morality in the world, but we are a much more free society, and we will not allow the Iranian problem to be passed down to our kids. One way or another, the Iranian government must be toppled. There is no alternative.
A vacation in Baku sounds good this year. Rookie intelligence agents paying my bar tab for a week is nice.
Just think, if we had oil.....we could build Flame Towers too. Dang, I wish I had money. So many kool places to visit ............
Become a backpacker and checkout organizations like YMCA and International youth hostel federation for places to stay in foreign countries. You don't need to have a while lot of money to see all the kool places in the world.
Yeah, just don't start backpacking in places like Iran or North Korea.
Or Pakistan.....You know what? It's probably best to avoid the middle east and south Asia.
I've been to Baku, and it's well worth visiting. The flame towers are right across the street to Martyr's Lane which, no surprise, houses an "eternal flame" to honor the Azeri deaths at the hands of USSR/Russia and Armenia. Be warned: this city is extremely expensive to visit and live in.
I'd like to visit Baku again; the last time I was there was 2002, and I'm curious to see how much it has changed, especially now that I saw the tourism TV ad the other night.
Supporting secularists dictators is preferably to supporting Islamists. Hanging Mubarak out to dry will go down as one of the greatest foreign policy blunders of our generation.
Don't be so hard on our POTUS, when you are on the job training, you're going to make mistakes, again and again and again.
Yeah Tea1959, robtzu.
Let's support dictators that will make us so popular with the people who are being mistreated. Great idea both of you.
Mubarak hung himself out to dry period. Assad is doing exactly the very same thing. It's funny to hear the same people that decided to invade Iraq and take out Saddam for his actions against his own people and cost the nation trillions of dollars and toppled the world economies now say it is better to help dictators slaughter their own people than to even acknowledge what they are doing. The big differance between the dictators that these moral supporters are supporting and Iraq being that the citizens weren't rebelling aginst Saddam and never once asked for help in toppling him and the backlash was the citizens in these other nations used that as a blue print to rise above the tyranny in their own nation thinking they might finally have help.
yeah, just like saddam (a secular dictator), we "supported" him just fine. we "support" someone until it becomes inconvenient to "support" them any more, then we turn on them like rabid dogs
amazing, the hypocrisy of the far right
The far right?
Didn't Obama shake hands with Ghadafi a year or so before we started bombing Libya?
Nice try. The Bush family has been in bed with the corrupt and inhumane Saudi's for generations now. Oh, and when Bush Sr. was the head of the CIA under that idiot Reagan, they were responsible for training Bin Laden. One could argue that the American right had a huge role in the culmination of events that led to 9/11, the worst attack ever on U.S. soil. Besides, everyone knows that GOP ideals have more in common with strict Muslims (i.e. hatred of gays, oppressing women, their love of war) than they do with honorable American values.
I think you missed the point. Bush Sr. or Bush Jr. aren't the presidents anymore. They weren't the ones shaking hands with Ghadafi a year before we started bombing them.
Why is it when one president has a bad policy about something, the next one we elect just carries it over?
Mike,
I get your point but completely disagree. You always try the carrot before the stick. You try to talk first, reward good behavior, positive reinforcement and when all else fails then you bring out the big stick. Obama was trying just that like many presidents before him. Make nice then if that doesn't work hit them hard.
Wow, if he gets 4 more years to learn, he might get ahead of Jimmy Carter.
Well he's got that head start ... he's already so far ahead of Bush and Bush.
R u kidding me,none of those savage countries can be trusted,they sell their souls to the highest bidder. NOT 2 B TRUSTED period!!! I thought the female was J-Lo!!!!!!!
"they sell their souls to the highest bidder"
I knew they would come around to our way of thinking eventually.
Great job keep up the good work.
Not quite right. They sell their souls to all the bidders and hope the bidders' don't speak to each other.
Azerbaijan a savage country? Clearly you have never been east of, say, France. This is a place that's hosted conflict/invasions from the Persian Empire, Ottomans, Mongols, Bolsheviks, etc. There is a long-standing dispute over Nagorno Karabagh. So the "Let Them Eat" cake view of the world is just plain stupid.
200grand, so you call these people savages and you read where Israel sold them 1.6 billion in weapons. The US is supplying the Syrian terrorist with money and weapons. We use all these dictators and then assassinate them when their use runs out. I am not proud to be an American now. We have to change our foreign policy and leave countries alone to live in peace.
So, we support another oppressive dictatorship because they help us with our current national security interests. In another 10 to 20 years the people will finally overthrow the oppressive dictatorship and hate both the US and Israel for supporting the unelected, oppressive dictator. And we will have our new hot spot in the world.
History repeats itself. We say we promote democracy, but it is so much easier to support and buy a dictator, keeping him in power as long as he is useful. That way we get to buy our guy, because we don't know who the people would elect and who they would support.
I admire these Muslims in the mid-east. They over throw their governments when they are crooked. Here in the US all our government are crooks and the sheeple just put up with it. The middle class is robbed everyday by these thieves, and neither party represent us. They should all be in prison. Other countries must laugh at us when they see how candidates spend tens of millions of dollars to get elected to a $250,000 a year job.
azerbhaturk is just like turkey,cant be trusted,now the jews are backing the country,why,a couple of years they were at each others throat.They are all double-talkers,couldnt trust any of them.America ,get out of that mess,when the time comes,they all will sell you down the river.Get some of our diplomats Pro-American.cohen,who is cohen,what did he say last week,to stir the pot.
Whoever took the picture did a poor job. It looks like that statue behind him is standing on his head. Oh yeah - none of those countries over there can be trusted. They would sell themselves to the devil for a few extra bucks. Especially the 'guy in the sears suit' - the head of iran.
"They would sell themselves to the devil for a few extra bucks"
Are you talking about other countries or are you talking about our politicians (most of Both Reps & Dems) and their masters the "special interest" lobbyists.
Yes we can be trusted, ask Saddam and Gadafi who we supported and then assasinated them.
"notsonaive"(?): Neither am I. However there is a capacity for some "trust" from any number of primary holders of former USSR satellite-and/or ancient Silk Road status. The question is not whether they will uphold a known and limited bargain, but whether "we" understand both their interests and their reserve.
1hucares,
Thanks. As that has to be one of the most intelligent & well thought out comments that I've read on any report today.
Perhaps thou shalt change thy name to 1humakesense :)
How much in taxes do you want to pay for Europe's missle defense shield??
Lets just give them a blank check.
What could possibly go wrong ?
Mr. Jamieson made reference to"the security cooperation between Baku and Tel Aviv." Presumably, he wanted to introduce some variety in wording, by employing the name of the capital cities of Azerbaijan and Israel as proxies for the names of the countries themselves. However, he and the readers should be informed that Tel Aviv is NOT the capital city of Israel and has not been the capital except for a temporary 19-month period after the founding of the state in 1948. Just as one would not refer to the USA as "Philadelphia," one should not refer to Israel as "Tel Aviv." I hope this was an unintentional error on Mr. Jamieson's part (and upon the part of his editors and fact checkers) and not an indication of bias on his and their part.
Yes, you're right I was trying to find a different form of words and ended up implying Tel Aviv was the capital. Will fix.
Thank you, Mr. Jamieson.
Nathan, Even though Tel Aviv is not the capital of Israel, most countries still have their embassies there, and many have not recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel (since it was illegally obtained).
Nathan you are wrong. Under international law Jerusalem is under UN control. All embassies are in Tel Aviv for a reason. Jerusalem is neutral for freedom of the three religions that have Holy sites there. Because Israeli settlers have attacked Christians and Muslims in Mosques and Churches Israel MUST STAY OUT. Look on you-tube at what Israeli's do to Christians there, it makes you sick. You are a zionist not a jew. I am a Jew, not a zionist. Palestine is at the UN getting non-member state status and will be allowed to stop these abuses. Obama will get re-elected so don't count on help from him after what Netanyhoo has done to undermine him.
When they tire of trying to out maneuver each other, they will become enemies. A regime change in the making ???
Not to worry. there is no way our boys in intel will fall for some bozo telling us stuff, pay him millions and getting us into another war. They are wayyyyy too smart for that.
stonepipe -- Some of our best "boys in intel" are well-educated women working for either the military or civilian spy agencies. Women, in fact, have analyzed or recruited some of the best intel without the testosterone-fueled warmonger mentality of some James Bond wannabe's. Guess you've never worked in intel...
Hahahahahahahahaha. tt-have you tried setting your secret decoder ring to sarcasm? I guess you never worked intel either.
Just so you know tt- I've always said women were the better of the sexes. Hope I did not hurt your feelings. :)
There's a country called "Azerbaijan" ?? I want one.
Let's face it the middle east will never be without war. There are too many tribes who don't get along with each other and their cultures don't mesh when it comes to creating a peaceful environment. The U.S. can't push democracy down people's throats. It just won't work. It takes time and diplomacy. How much time the U.S. wants to spend, is another story.
Billy
You are correct in pointing out it is a tribal mentality and based on people from there who moved elsewhere and took thier tribal mentality with them, it will be another century or ten before they begain to get things straightened out. This tribal culturalism is alive and well in the boroughs of New York, as well as L.A., Chicago and elsewhere in the form of "gangs" consisting of various cultures and every skin color known to man. The problem with man is man and I wouldn't look for an "Emerald City" or "Utopia' anytime too soon this side of Heaven.
Is is just me or does the first photo look like a scene from the movie "Blade Runner"?
Even their buildings give me the creeps...........
One night in Azerbaijan makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Azerbaijan and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me
Dude, you won't get an agent if you plagarize Benny and Bjorn's lyrics.
Dude;
Not looking for one, (agent) but if I ever did I would hope to have something a little better to take to the table!
I was wondering why there were so many new aliens from Azerbaijan settling in the United States. They stay to themselves but there are thousands of them living in the United States. I wondered how they got to the front of the line but now I know.
Here's hoping they keep their relative neutrality. If they threw in their hats 100% with the US and Israel, they'd be less valuable to us, really. You need neutral countries such as Azerbaijan and Switzerland, otherwise the spy game would be considerably more difficult....
Nuke em, nuke em all. Iran and N. korea want nuclear power, I say give it to them, the American way. Why sit back and watch a beehive grow bigger. Stop them before it gets worse. If not, one day Isreal will be a memory, then us.
Take it easy, General LeMay. You'll harden your arteries.
Please tell me smokey's kidding... he understands that a nuclear exchange (not to mention fallout and radioactivity) won't stay within nice, neat borders, right? Judging from the stupidity of the post, maybe not.
Sebastian, You pansy. You want fallout in you're backyard or in theirs.
tell you what smokey, you go live right next to lake karachay in russia for a decade or so and tell me how that works out for you.
http://www.kirps.com/cgi-bin/web.pl?sid=&blog_record=31
smokey--
"You want fallout in you're backyard or in theirs."
No one's yard, you militant Neanderthal retard. Don't you get it?! Radioactivity doesn't STAY safely confined in one's yard... please tell me you're not that goddamned stupid.
Sebastian-- It's trolls like you that cause our country to be unsafe. These terrorist countries need to be stopped, Your little mind can't seem to understand that. Just sit back and do nothing, your an idiot. Take your meds. and open your eye's, we can't keep telling them no, stop, please don't. Your a pansy with no brain, I love my country and would do anything to protect it, and yes, even protect the less fortunate as yourself. There's really no sense in explaining this to you, I'm sure you have a protest or something to go too. Put your pipe down, move out of your parents basement and get a life.
For decades now the corporate business model has been "regime change" when necessary, followed by the enslavement of the population, & the looting of their resources. Yet some of you are shocked, Shocked! to find the kind of people who would betray their own countries are corrupt too. BTW the U.S. has no special exemption from this plan.
Theocrats are the easiest to manipulate. Just tell 'em its God swill, uh, I mean God's will, & you can get them to do anything. Really anything. They'll torture women to death for being "witches", burn men alive as "heretics", herd members of unpopular religions into gas chambers, fly airliners into skyscrapers, & blow themselves up in public places. That's just the tip of the iceberg, but they can justify the unjustifiable by blaming their crimes on God.
And if "God" is the Almighty Dollar, there's no morality, no code of honor, no ideology, no ethics, no limits.
Hillary: "Barry ... Barry ... stop watching basketball. We've got some serious problems"
Obama: "Who cares .... how are my numbers for the election? Wow ... did you see that dunk!"
This Iran story was written about and exposed in a great new book–
"THE DEVIL'S BANKER" by Gary Van Haas on Amazon-com
Check it out if you want to know the truth what's really going on!
Why this article stresses so much that Azerbaijan is a "dictatorship"? And Putin's Russia is not a dictatorship? All post-Soviet countries, except perhaps Ukraine, are dictatorships. But Azerbaijan, at least, respects the West and wants to develop in the direction of the Western civilization. By the way, in the USSR, Azerbaijan was the most tolerant and the least anti-Semitic Soviet republic.
Ivan are you a zionist or a evangelical Christian to spread those kind of lies. Putin was elected by a 70% majority and is well loved by his country. He raised their wages 7 times over. If he did that for me I would vote for him too. The first thing he did was throw the billionaire zionist crooks in prison and raised their standard of living. Ivan I'm sure you know what hasbara is in Hebrew. I am a Jew, not a zionist.
Reading the Bible one thing that stands out is that Israel has the damsel in distress part down pat , for over 4000 yrs she has been the victim of attacks because the world just has a hard time with their god , Not that Israels god is much different than most other gods , always telingl Israel to go out and take someone else land and slaughter the women and children, old men and woman .
It just a god thing and gods like dictators demand complete control , if you can't come on board then die, if that not the case with western Christianity then ditch the old testaments , salvation with punishment ? some god , NOT!!!