This study aims to examine the foreign policy of Azerbaijan toward Turkey in a historical perspective on the one hand and to analyze foreign policy formations during the Abulfaz Elchibey, Heydar Aliyev and Ilham Aliyev periods on the other. The thesis argues that One nation, two states principle does not have a validity in dictating the bilateral relations, instead a realist engagement is being favored by Azerbaijan with an emphasis on national interest. As a result, it is asserted that Azerbaijan&rsquo / s foreign policy remains in a cautious and consistent manner toward Turkey.

Democratization has been studied by several scholars, who have argued about significance of various factors for democratization of a certain country. One of these scholars was Seymour Martin Lipset and he claimed that there is a linear correlation between democracy and socioeconomic development. Thus, the aim of this study is to test Lipset’s hypothesis in the case of Azerbaijan, which is an oil rich authoritarian country. The study was conducted with the help of mixed analysis methods (i.e. combination of qualitative and quantitative methods) and a case study research design.  To measure socioeconomic development’s impact on democratization of Azerbaijan, some socioeconomic indicators were chosen in this study, such as economic growth, income inequality, poverty and unemployment rates in the country. Results of the empirical data analysis showed that, socioeconomic development has a positive correlation with democratization and therefore, Lipset’s hypothesis is plausible in the case of Azerbaijan. In addition, socioeconomic development has a great impact on democratization of the country, i.e. of Azerbaijan. / Demokratisering är ett ämne som har studerats av flera forskare under flera år. Några av dessa forskare har hävdat att det finns diverse faktorer som kan ha inverkan på demokratiseringen av ett land. En av dessa forskare var Seymour Martin Lipset, som hävdade att det finns en positiv korrelation mellan demokrati och socioekonomisk utveckling. Därmed, syftet med denna studie är att testa Lipsets hypotes om socioekonomiska utvecklingens samband med demokratin på fallet av Azerbajdzjan. Azerbajdzjan är ett oljerik autoritär land som har upplevt hög ekonomisk tillväxt.  Studien har genomförts med hjälp av blandade analysmetoder (dvs. kombinationen av kvalitativ och kvantitativ analysmetod) och en fallstudie forskningsdesign. För att genomföra studien, några socioekonomisk utveckling indikatorer har valts, såsom ekonomiskt tillväxt, inkomstskillnader, fattigdoms- och arbetslöshetsnivån i landet. Resultatet av det empiriska data analysen visade att, Lipsets hypotes stämmer i fallet av Azerbajdzjan och det finns ett positivt samband mellan demokratisering och socioekonomisk utveckling. Därmed, socioekonomisk utveckling har en stor inverkan på demokratiseringen av landet, dvs. av Azerbajdzjan.

Since 1988, the states of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in conflict over the enclave of Nagorno Karabakh. The conflict has developed into one of the most intractable and complicated disputes in the international arena, with the main parties being the two rivalling sovereign states plus the 'unrecognised state' of Nagorno Karabakh. Despite the optimistic statements and claims by the OSCE and after many years of negotiations and talks, the peace process remains in stalemate. The research argues the virtues of Track Two diplomacy and highlights the successful instances where it has made important contributions to the 'official' or Track One diplomatic process. It also explores the potential of a 'no war no peace' situation by discerning the factors influencing the progress of the conflict. The research shows that a deeper understanding of the obstacles to peace is achieved by appreciating the significance of historical events as well as recognising the motives and interests of the different parties. The study reviews all major factors which have led to the failure of resolution efforts, particular the negative role played by Russia. It concludes that the scholars in the field of conflict resolution can bring about a lasting peace to this region, provided there is a fundamental change in the structure of the co-chairs of the OSCE.

Pavel Makovský: Geopolitical aspects of transport interconnections development in the Southern Caucasus Abstract This study solves transport interconnection in the South Caucasus region with a focus on four modes of transport - air, rail, road and pipeline. The research covers regional cooperation and cross-border involvement of other states and international organizations. Literature and data research from statistical office of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia sites, which I analyzed and confronted with the liberal theory of functionalism (neofunctionalism) and the opposite theory of realism (neorealism), was conducted. The result is an interdependence analysis evaluated at two ranks (regional and cross-border). It is followed by the applicability and summary of all political actors acting on the basis of liberal or realistic thinking. On the basis of the work there is possibility to build on research in the region of Central Asia. Keywords: South Caucasus; transport interconnection; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Georgia; geopolitics

Studies about the consolidation process in the post- Soviet era has become more popular since the countries gained their independence, one of them was Azerbaijan. However, the country has difficulties in consolidating democracy since it regained its independence. The mail goal of this study is to find out why the democratization process in Azerbaijan have faltered and the main factors behind it. Such as the role of the electoral process, civil society, and the constitutional state. This qualitative case study will mainly rely on material from Freedom House Index report & Nations in Transit. The theories that will be used in this study is Juan Linz and Alfred Stepan's theories "Towards consolidated democracies". They argue that in order to achieve a consolidated democracy there has to be a functioning political society, active civil society and a constitutional state. To strengthen the main theory in this study, we will rely on Robert Dahls five criterions that are needed in order to achieve a democracy. Results show that main factors behind Azerbaijan's faltering democratization is a relatively weak opposition, fragmented civil society and a legislative body that is not independent. Other main reasons for the faltering of democracy is high institutionalized corruption on every level of society

Companies face vital problems when implementing performance management in cross cultural context. Several attempts have been made to analyse employee performance management in the cultural and industrial context. However, the lack of studies of performance management in cultural and industrial context necessitates this phenomenon to be investigated in various cultures and contexts for sound academic contributions. The present study aims to investigate cultural and industrial influences on the general characteristics, criteria formulation and employee acceptance of performance management in cultural context. This study used a qualitative approach and is based on nine case studies in Azerbaijan. The study adopted semi structured in-depth interview and document analysis as the data collection methods. The results showed that the legal context is the most influencing dimension on the performance management system in Azerbaijan. The thesis concludes criteria for performance is the choice of management philosophy which is a cultural factor. The findings indicate that employees accept performance management positively when the process is implemented fairly. The findings of this study provide a solid evidence base for considering country culture and industry characteristics in implementing performance management. It is evidently clear from the findings that both local and international companies are faced with different problems when implementing performance management in the cross cultural context of Azerbaijan. This study should therefore be of value to practitioners wishing to overcome certain cultural and industrial related problems during implementation of performance management in host companies. In addition, the study contributed certain evidence of the cross cultural performance management process in the various context for the science.

During recent decades the educational community around the world has witnessed an increasing interest in programmes aiming at providing teachers as well as learners of all ages with direct access to personal computing devices and the vast amount of information such provision enables. These types of programmes are known as “one-to- one computing”, a term that indicates a very widespread distribution of computers in educational settings. Research into such patterns of provision has accordingly become a priority. Understandably, the realities of one-to-one programme implementation vary considerably across the nations, since cultural setting, educational system, customs of technology use and teachers’ experiences are all significant aspects that influence the process. However, there can be certain commonalities across all these aspects in countries whose educational systems have a largely shared history, as is the case in the former Soviet Union states. Azerbaijan’s experience in the field, as one of the countries with a post-soviet educational system going through curriculum reforms, was very attractive for a comprehensive study with the primary focus on identifying the factors influencing the infusion of one-to-one computing into learning and teaching. The research question developed for this study was: “What factors influence the integration of one-to-one computing into teaching and learning?” Qualitative research methods were used to gather data at three purposively selected schools, two in the capital city of Baku and one in a provincial town. The research data were collected by conducting classroom observations, interviews and focus group discussions with main stakeholders of the programme allowing for investigation of students’, teachers’ and parents’ experiences throughout the implementation process. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach the gathered data were analyzed in two major stages: the first one employed the ‘helicopter view’ approach to attain a preliminary picture, followed by the process of coding, memo-writing and analysis. The second stage of the analysis resulted in a thematic summary into teacher, student and classroom-dynamics-related categories. The findings revealed that the students were the most enthusiastic about the changes brought to the learning process with the introduction of the lightweight, small and inexpensive devices, commonly known as netbooks. The students improved their technological skills and knowledge and applied these skills in acquiring domain knowledge. By providing students with netbooks, the one-to-one programme introduced anytime, anywhere, and individualized learning opportunities. The study also revealed that the introduction of netbooks was leading to students developing collaborative learning skills. In addition, the study found that most of the teachers were developing new teaching methods to continue the programme implementation. They invested extra time and worked hard, notwithstanding the lack of guidelines both on the integration of technology with pedagogy and on meeting newly-set National Curriculum standards. Some teachers overcame the technological challenges that arose along the way eagerly, while others used them as an excuse to discontinue the programme implementation. The parents’ opinions varied considerably, some of them supported the innovation, while others considered the frequent usage of technology excessive, unnecessary and potentially damaging to their children’s health. The latter group of parents expected their children to be taught similarly to them, with a primary focus on the development of handwriting and speaking skills as well as the habits of reading printed books. The research has identified eight major factors influencing the integration of one-to-one computing into teaching and learning: embedding ICT in the curriculum, fostering of exploratory learning, student satisfaction, new learning practices, professional development, school leadership support, teacher beliefs and parental support. Most importantly, the findings have revealed the importance of addressing teacher professional development in terms of integrating technology with pedagogy and meeting curriculum standards through technology-infused teaching methods. These factors indicate the improvements needed for successful programme implementation. It is hoped that the results can be adopted by educational leaders to inform their decisions on one-to-one programmes, thereby contributing to successful integration.

La culture joue un rôle fondamental dans les politiques nationales en ce sens qu'elle définit les relations internationales. Avec la chute du système international bipolaire, la culture a pris une place plus importante à une époque où les efforts pour expliquer des termes comme "conflit de civilisations" et "liens culturels et historiques" dans le cadre de la politique extérieure gagnent en intensité. La Turquie et l'Azerbaïdjan constituent un exemple intéressant. Les Turcs de Turquie et d'Azerbaïdjan, "enfants du même peuple", ont dû fonder des États distincts. Ces deux pays se sont toujours considérés comme très proches, mais des moments de tension ont entaché les relations. La tentative de maintenir les relations d'abord uniquement sur une base idéologique, puis uniquement sur les relations interpersonnelles a engendré des tensions qui perdurent. Ainsi, pouvons-nous affirmer que les relations entre ces deux pays dépassent les dimensions purement idéologiques ou personnelles. / Culture plays a fundamental role in national policies as it defines international relations. With the collapse of the bipolar international system, culture took a more prominent place at a time when efforts to explain terms such as "conflict of civilizations" and "cultural and historical links" in the context of foreign policy are gaining momentum. Turkey and Azerbaijan are an interesting case in that regard. The Turks of Turkey and Azerbaijan, "children of the same people", had to found separate states. These two countries have always considered each other very close, but moments of tension have tainted relations. The attempt to maintain relationships initially only on an ideological basis, and then only on interpersonal relation ships has created persistent tensions.Thus, can we say that relations between these two countries go beyond purely ideological orpersonal dimensions?

The Caspian region and specifically the Apsheron peninsula of Azerbaijan is known to be polluted with a variety of environmental contaminants, making risk assessment difficult. The wetlands of Sumgayit contain particularly complex mixtures of contaminants. Flow cytometry and the micronucleus assay were used to assess chromosomal damage in aquatic turtles and frogs inhabiting contaminated wetlands in Azerbaijan. By evaluating biomarkers that are indicative of somatic effects, elevated chromosomal damage was documented at several sites in Azerbaijan relative to reference sites. Sediment samples were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorines (OCs), and mercury to evaluate contaminant associations with genetic damage. Sediment samples revealed heterogeneous patterns of PAH and mercury concentrations throughout Sumgayit. Significant positive correlations were documented between both PAH and mercury sediment concentrations and chromosomal damage. Population genetic methods were employed to study the effects of long-term chronic contaminant exposure in marsh frogs from Sumgayit. The Sumgayit region has reduced levels of genetic diversity, likely due to environmental degradation. One of the most contaminated sites in Sumgayit, WTP, appears to be a source of new mutations as a result of an increased mutation rate. Finally, the Sumgayit region seems to act as an ecological sink, with levels of gene flow into the region exceeding gene flow out of the region. This study provides not only exposure and biomarker data, but also an integrated method for assessing the cumulative population impacts of contaminant exposure by studying both population genetic and evolutionary effects. The results presented here will be used in conjunction with those of ongoing research involving both wildlife and humans to develop comprehensive ecological and human risk assessments.

This article looks at contemporary Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan and addresses the question of how these states, which suffer from considerable institutional weaknesses, nevertheless retain the ability to control key aspects of statehood, first of all security and a measure of central authority. It is argued that these states invest only in selected aspects of statehood. The needed resources are mobilized by a system of informal taxes, which are then invested in certain selected core functions of statehood. This form of state depends on both formal and informal institutions, which are mutually supportive.