Iranian Politics and Law Quarterly

Iranian Politics and Law Quarterly

The Raison d`etre of the Republic of Azerbaijan: A Political Geography Analysis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ata-ollah Abdi 1
Morad Kavianirad 1
Hossein Salar Seyfodini 2
1 Faculty of Geography, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/irpl.2024.194367
Abstract
The establishment, endurance, and perpetuation of states necessitate a raison d'être. It serves as a direct response to the question of why a state should exist as an independent political entity. Various factors contribute to the raison d'être of nations, ranging from internally generated and self-defined principles to those shaped by colonial legacies or the fragmentation of vast empires into smaller states. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the emergence of the “Republic of Azerbaijan” in the South Caucasus marked a significant development. This article seeks to explore the raison d'être of this nascent state and its relationship with its historical neighbor, Iran. The central thesis of this article posits that the cultural and geopolitical tensions between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan are rooted in a divergence of their respective raison d'être. Available evidence indicates that this discord has engendered a fragile diplomatic rapport between the two nations, susceptible to destabilization by any untoward incident. A considerable portion of this mutual distrust can be attributed to underlying theories regarding the raison d'être of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Keywords
raison d'être
Republic of Azerbaijan
Iran
Political Geography
National Identity
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Iranian Politics and Law Quarterly
Volume 2, Issue 1
Winter 2024
Pages 79-94