CALL FOR PAPERS

Topic:  Azerbaijan as a middle power

The Center of Analysis of International Relations(AIR Center) announces a call for papers on the topic of middle powers, their increasing roles in international politics, and the newly found image of Azerbaijan as an assertive and rising middle power. The papers are expected to cover various topics related to middle powers and Azerbaijan’s role as a middle power and could be focused on but not limited to the following areas:

Subtopics:

• Middle powers: definition and scholarly debate

• Middle powers, and their role in the international system

• Small powers, middle powers and superpowers, and global security architecture

• Azerbaijan as a middle power

• Other countries as middle powers

• The role of Azerbaijan as a middle power in fostering regional security architecture

• Global initiatives of Azerbaijan, norm entrepreneur, and rising global profile

• Can middle powers become linchpins of regional and global security and peace initiatives?

The above topics are examples of potential papers; however, the list is not exhaustive.

Deadline: 1 October 2023

Middle powers have been at the forefront of many international initiatives that demand the coordination of resources and the promotion of values. Traditionally, middle powers are so named simply because they are neither great nor small. Scholars in the field, however, see beyond the mere geographic meaning of middle powers and rightly portray their importance in terms of more than just their physical criteria. Scholars like Marijke Breuning stated that “middle powers are usually affluent states that employ their resources to foster peace and lessen global economic inequality” and are norm entrepreneurs that “advocate for the adoption of certain international standards and work diplomatically to persuade the representatives of other states to also adopt these norms.”

Such countries play important roles in the area of international development cooperation, and the decision-makers of such countries typically advocate for more development aid and sustainable development.

Azerbaijan, a country in the South Caucasus, is also assertively making its name as a middle power. The country has come a long way to become a regional leader with all the energy and infrastructure projects that it is implementing together with its international partners, such as Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan and Baku–Tbilisi–Erzurum oil and gas pipelines and the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) megaproject, which has already become operational in Fall, 2020.

However, those projects are not merely profit-oriented; they also aim to contribute to the energy security and stability of the region and wider neighborhood, including Europe. Security means stability; stability and profit facilitate sustainable development. However, energy and infrastructure projects aside, Azerbaijan’s rising international profile in recent years and its role as a norm entrepreneur should be closely examined as the country has earned the title of middle power by virtue of its initiatives and emphasis on certain values that unite societies, alongside its serving as a bridge between often competing geopolitical spaces.

The country has long made the promotion of tolerance and multiculturalism one of its central platforms in international affairs, and, specifically, there is an established International Center on Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan that implements the state’s initiatives and vision in this area. Azerbaijan declared 2016 as the Year of Multiculturalism. It is a multiethnic and multi-confessional state where national minorities and freedom of religious belief are respected. Tolerance is therefore endemic to Azerbaijani society.

Moreover, Azerbaijan’s emphasis on multilateralism is no less important. Its belief in the power of international institutions and increasing weight in international affairs elevated it to the status of non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2012–2013. One hallmark initiative promoted by Azerbaijan was the conduct of a high-level, open debate on “Strengthening partnership synergy between the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)” during its second-term presidency of the council in October 2013, which was the first ever high-level debate in the Council on this topic. Azerbaijan’s commitment to multilateralism is further manifested in the most recent initiatives it has taken to bring together countries of diverse as well as similar faiths, identities, and interests.

The above initiatives are just small examples that testify to the fact that Azerbaijan has acted as a middle power and norm entrepreneur that both “advocated for the adoption of certain international standards and work diplomatically to persuade the representatives of other states to also adopt these norms” and worked to provide “moderating and pacifying influences in the society of states” and as a notable supporter of international organizations, thereby showcasing a particularly high sense of responsibility.

For more information on Azerbaijan’s image as a middle power please check:

https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/05/16/is-azerbaijan-a-middle-power/

https://aircenter.az/uploads/files/Is%20Azerbaijan.pdf

Requirements and Outcome

The prospective authors should submit 2500-5000 words for articles that follow the Chicago-style academic writing guidelines. The authors with selected papers will participate in a relevant conference in Azerbaijan.

Please send the papers to the email address: info@aircenter.az