Lord Palmerston (1784–1865), who served as Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, made the following objective and, to a certain extent, materialist statement in his speech in the House of Commons on 1 March 1848: “We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.” Indeed, in the international political arena, states often act independently in accordance with their respective objectives and interests. However, when a common objective exists, several states may decide to act jointly, even if only temporarily. The order governing international relations can, in many respects, be encapsulated in the following verses by Saadi Shirazi:
“Fight as though you will be friends tomorrow,
Be friends as though you will fight tomorrow.”
What, then, compelled the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, more than a century and a half later, in the twenty-first century, to articulate thoughts resembling those expressed by Lord Palmerston, yet distinguished by their own particular character?
Unfortunately, since the Soviet period, Azerbaijan has witnessed a persistent struggle among intellectuals and, particularly, among individuals in the media who adopted various ideological currents associated with different states: Russophiles, Iranophiles, Turanists, Western-oriented groups and others. Indeed, at one point, following the declaration of independence, the government of the time even refrained from incorporating the term “Azerbaijani language” into the Constitution. However, during the period of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, efforts were made to overcome this ideological fragmentation within the media and the scholarly community by uniting them around the ideology of Azerbaijanihood (Azerbaijanism). This unified ideology subsequently became one of the foundations of the state’s domestic and foreign policy.
Thus, Heydar Aliyev stated that “the language of our people is Azerbaijani, our nation is Azerbaijani, and our republic is Azerbaijan”, while also emphasising that “from a historical perspective, the Azerbaijani language belongs to the group of Turkic languages existing in the world and its origins derive from the Turkic language group”. Consequently, the conclusions reached through these discussions were reflected in the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Although years have passed, certain negative developments occurring both domestically and internationally have demonstrated that individuals who deviate from the path of a unified ideological environment continue to exist and that foreign states attempt to exploit this fragmentation to their advantage.
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The statements made by Ilham Aliyev at the 8th Congress of the New Azerbaijan Party directly addressed the factors contributing to such ideological fragmentation. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, stated:
“Ideological security is as important as physical security. Because ideological subversion is directed inside the country. We protect our borders, and this is one of our responsibilities. We have achieved the protection and security of our state borders through the use of modern technologies. However, ideological risks know no borders, particularly in today’s world, in the world of the Internet, cyberattacks, and artificial intelligence. Therefore, we must protect ourselves from ideological subversion. How? First and foremost, education. The more educated, knowledgeable, and literate our people are, the less likely they will be to fall for these lies, these rumors, and these ideological provocations filled with poison. Secondly, patriotism. I am confident that all of us, every patriotic Azerbaijani, every citizen of Azerbaijan, takes pride in his or her state. We have achieved an unprecedented Victory in the world. And once again, I say, on our own.”
Ideological influences today entail risks on a greater scale than ever before. Any action taken within a country can now provoke a response from foreign states within a very short period of time. However, in light of the aforementioned statements of Ilham Aliyev, it can be argued that the Republic of Azerbaijan has identified the principal challenges in the sphere of ideological struggle and possesses the capacity to determine the means and measures necessary to address them.
In particular, Ilham Aliyev’s emphasis on the continuation of the political legacy of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, and on the fact that this legacy has not been forgotten, demonstrates that the ideology of Azerbaijanihood remains relevant today. It became the dominant ideological framework as a result of the various scholarly and cultural conferences conducted during Heydar Aliyev’s period.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Global News Pakistan
Nejat Madatoğlu
Nejat Madatoğlu is an Azerbaijani writer, historian and expert in international relations. He is the author of three books, and his work has appeared in newspapers and magazines in Azerbaijan, Türkiye and abroad. His interests include Azerbaijani and Turkish history, literature, cultural heritage and cultural diplomacy. He is active in international literary and cultural events and works to strengthen cultural and intellectual ties between Azerbaijan and Türkiye.
