State of The Civil Society in Azerbaijan

    Currently Azerbaijan is drawing world attention as major oil companies flock to the region to explore the Caspian and environs for oil and gas. However, we have to mention that Azerbaijan will anyway continue to draw attention not only for its oil reserves, but also for its political ferment, its advantageous geopolitical situation, its proximity to other strategically important nations, and chronic conflict with Armenia. 
    It is frequently overlooked that post-Soviet nations are part of the developing world, with the same dynamics of post-colonial indigence and dislocation. In Azerbaijan, as in other Third-World countries, a colonial-like power (the central Soviet government) made Azerbaijan reliant on single industries (oil and cotton production). Not long before and after the collapse of USSR a multi-ethnic Azerbaijan (especially its capital Baku) suffered considerably from the wars and displacements of that time. Since the early 1990s lots of enterprising and educated Azeris, Russians, Jews and Armenians fled to Russia and other countries. They had different reasons to leave: Armenians left because of the Karabakh conflict, Russians and Jews - because of the temporal aggravation of the nationalistic public mood (especially, during the governing of Popular Front), Azeris - for job, recognition and better life.
    Now Azerbaijan is witnessing the gulf between a small elite of government officials, their retainer, businessmen loyal to, or at least cooperative with, the regime, and the vast majority of people without or with an insufficient access to education and resources. This gulf, pointed by the isolation of the population, is a serious reason of the weak middle class with more liberal values, because it means the public is defenseless to ideological manipulation. This manipulation can take form of clan politics or more naked struggles between ruling groups.
    Another serious problem is a poor non-governmental sector. Currently, Azerbaijan has far fewer NGOs than Georgia and Armenia, partly due to Soviet interference in the development of civil society, and aggravated by 1990 Moscow-led invasion of Baku to suppress the Popular Front movement. Experts cite three main reasons for their problems: 1) the authoritarian regime places obstacles to registration of non-profit, non-governmental groups and makes arbitrary rulings; 2) without registration, obtaining foreign grants and local donations is difficult; 3) with the government's discouragement, and the lack of funding, public opinion about NGOs is not positive. Another problem of NGOs is a lack of information among the population about NGOs and their role in the civil society.
    Following the flawed Presidential elections in October of 1998, characterized as fraudulent and unfair by OSCE, NDI, and other observers, the opposition could not consolidate and contest the results. As a result, Parliamentary elections in November of 2000 showed no progress in the development of electoral process in Azerbaijan. In fact, there is not an effective opposition in Azerbaijan, which could consolidate for the solution of common problems, and influence on political and social processes. Given situation plays a negative role in the making of the civil society.
    In contradistinction to the political parties an independent media is more active solving its common problems. The mass actions of protest held by the journalists in case of oppression against the independent media confirm this statement.
    This status quo cannot satisfy neither progressive sections of the population or the Western powers. The fact that regardless to lots of disparities Azerbaijan was accepted to the European Council is a striking example of this. Taking into account tolerance of the population, inefficient opposition, progress in the making of an open civil society can be achieved only under good will of the authoritarian power or pressure of the Western powers and international organizations.