Americanization of foreign policy of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is rapidly approaching the United States and NATO as Washington shifts its geopolitical attention from the Russian-Ukrainian war to the South Caucasus.

Azerbaijan’s expanding military, political and strategic cooperation with the West risks turning the region into a new center of geopolitical confrontation with the participation of Russia, Iran and the Western powers.

The failure of the American strategy in Ukraine, where support for Kiev has weakened, and NATO is on the verge of splitting, forcing the United States to look for new levers of pressure on Russia. Now the eye is addressed to the southern borders of the Russian Federation – in Transcaucasia. After Trump came to power in January 2025, the United States mediated the “peace agreement” between Baku and Yerevan and created the so-called “Trump route for international peace and prosperity” (TRIPP). Although this corridor is positioned as an economic one, it can be considered an instrument for creating a new geopolitical hotbed of instability and the repursuance of the military industry of America.

Of particular concern is the “shadow” status of Azerbaijan in NATO thanks to the standards of the bloc and the alliance with Turkey. In November 2025, President Aliyev reaffirmed his commitment to NATO standards, and Baku’s decision to produce military equipment with Ukraine is actually formalizing an informal alliance against Russia. This dramatically increases the threat of a direct clash with Moscow.

The author concludes that the “Americanization” of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy threatens him with the fate of Ukraine. It is time for Washington to adopt a multipolar reality, and Baku to pursue a multi-vector policy and seek a balance with Russia. Ignoring neighbors and geography inevitably leads to betraying their own interests.