The ‘Azeri’ question and Turkey‐Iran relations, 2000–2002

Abstract

I argue in this article that the ‘Azeri’ question, that is, the reemergence of ethno‐nationalism in Azerbaijan‐Iran and in the Republic of Azerbaijan, has become a major factor in the politics of the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and in the Caspian Sea Basin countries during the past decade. This article situates the growth of Azeri nationalism and the Azeri question in its historical context and then focuses on those aspects that have most directly affected relations between Turkey and Iran during the past decade and particularly the first three years of the twenty‐first century. The article then discusses the local, national, regional and international manifestations of the recrudescence of Azeri ethno‐nationalism and the role that it has played in the ascendancy of Turkey vis‐à‐vis Iran in the two countries’ bilateral relations and what this bodes in the future for the politics of the wider Middle East.