Stories about Azerbaijan from July, 2008
Azerbaijan: Shop Baku
Visiting Azerbaijan? A new blog, Shop Baku, offers helpful tips for foreigners in the country including a helpful list of food names in Azerbaijani and English as well as a cheat sheet for buying produce from markets and shops.
Caucasus: Cuil Search Engine
Social Science in the Caucasus puts new search engine Cuil through a series of tests to evaluate its worth as a research tool in the region. The blog concludes that Google has nothing to worry about.
Azerbaijan: Media Course
Thoughts On The Road, the blog of an American journalist living and working in Azerbaijan, reports on a recent media course he gave in Sheki.
Azerbaijan: US Election Conference
Michael J. Totten's Middle East Journal reports that it will be visiting Azerbaijan next month for a conference on the U.S. Presidential Election and locally related matters. The blog also solicits questions from its readers which can be put to senior government officials in the country as well as religious...
Caucasus: Tolerance
Social Science in the Caucasus comments on its own research into the attitude of citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia towards their neighbors.
Azerbaijan: Dolma
Farida’s Azerbaijani Cookbook says that dolma — vegetables stuffed with meat — is one of the most popular dishes in Azerbaijan during the summer months. The cookery blog provides a detailed recipe for anyone interested in trying out the regional dish.
Azerbaijan: Homophobia, Politics & Corruption
Unzipped: Gay Armenia continues to detail the ongoing saga of Agil Khalil, an opposition reporter in Azerbaijan, who was recently stabbed. Although the authorities in Baku continue to maintain that the perpetrator of the attack was a jilted former-lover, the blog notes that international organizations have determined the following trial...
Caucasus: Russian Language
Social Science in the Caucasus comments on data indicating the level of English and Russian language proficiency in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Iran: World Heritage Sites
Blogian comments on the inclusion of three Armenian monasteries in Iran on UNESCO's World Heritage list. The blogger says that while he is happy about the move, he is also unhappy because of inaction by UNESCO when Armenian sites in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan were destroyed.
Armenia: LGBT Blogs
While most political blogs in Armenia simply duplicate the views of an already polarized media, the voices of those stuck in between, denied access to the airwaves, or who are simply misrepresented, are often ignored. That might now all be changing with the appearance of several LGBT Blogs from Armenia and the Diaspora.
The Oil and the Glory: Guest Column
Author Tom de Waal guest-blogs about changing Russian-Azeri relations at The Oil and the Glory as Russian President Medvedev heads for Baku.
Armenia: Foreign Policy Failure
Unzipped comments on recent statements made by newly-elected Russian president Dmitry Medvedev as well as the Council of Europe and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reaffirming the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The blog asks its readers somewhat rhetorically if the statements represent the failure of Armenian foreign...
Caucasus: European Football
Social Science in the Caucasus looks at where the affinity of the three South Caucasus countries lay during the recent European UEFA football competition. The blog says that the exercise provides a fascinating insight into the cultural and political orientation of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Azerbaijan: Asylum Campaign Meeting
Unzipped: Gay Armenia updates its readers on the case of a gay Azerbaijani currently in Wales. Babi Badalov's claim for asylum has been rejected and the artist faces deportation. The blog notes that there have been attacks on Babi Badalov in the Azerbaijani media and that he will also be...
