Authoritarianism and democracy : policy management and regimes in Azerbaijan

Abstract

Democratic and authoritarian regimes govern using very different methods. While the rulers of the various regimes often orate similar political philosophies, their governing tactics reveal startlingly different methods of inclusion, persuasion and/or coercion of their populations. In policy formulation, in particular, governors attempt to manage using means which exemplify their willingness to include or specifically exclude the masses and which express their commitment to the contending philosophies. In this essay, the application of these political philosophies through government and societal institutions in Azerbaijan will be reviewed to determine if Azerbaijan is really embarking on a democratic venture or if it is continuing past practices of authoritarianism which have been learned over more than 150 years of imperial and Soviet rule. After the theoretical framework for democracy is grounded, the implementation of democratic principles in the newly-independent Azerbaijan will be discussed in the areas of sociopolitical, foreign and economic policy. It is the attempt of this thesis to show that while authoritarian philosophies can be used to manage the politico- legal institutions and population in Azerbaijan, the long-term development and "health" of Azerbaijan and its people will rely on the implementation of democratic institutions and transparent decision-making.