Yes, this beautiful state is the native home for all of us. Whether we like it or not, we are all viewed the same from the outside. The main ideological factor that causes the state’s strength, as well as the future of the peoples living here to look forward with confidence and live in a safe environment, is precisely the environment of national unity and solidarity. The aforementioned undoubtedly belong to the category of ideological concepts. It is no coincidence that the strategic purpose of all provocative manipulations we have witnessed over the past period has been precisely to undermine the environment of solidarity experienced in our country. Those who target national solidarity cannot have good intentions.
Under the influence of modern technological trends, as well as the internet that has occupied the global information space, for many years, they have successfully reduced our communication to the level of exchanging simple emoticons on social networks, persistently preventing us from thinking about complex topics. Of course, the development of such a situation distorts ideological values and inevitably cheapens them. The situation has reached a point where even the word “theory” itself is now reflected in the public consciousness of the population with a sense of disgust. In the management system, theory has been almost completely abandoned, and now all hopes are pinned on artificial intelligence. Therefore, it is not surprising that “naked” emotions still dominate in politics. The “awakening” of biased emotions that “suffocate” rational thought is also a product of “dirty” manipulations. We have encountered such situations many times in our recent history.
We would make a big mistake if we said that the Azerbaijani state and statehood have been subjected to various ideological conspiracies since the day it gained independence. Yes, precisely “subjected,” because they do not stop. The tonality and intensity of pressure of provocations can change, but unfortunately, their complete cessation is out of the question. On the contrary, our glorious Victory provoked the emergence of a new and harsher wave of provocations. As soon as independence was gained, our native homeland was targeted by various forces. All the leading forces of the world are still fiercely pursuing their geopolitical struggle for post-Soviet countries. Azerbaijan, with its unique geography and rich natural resources, is generally at the epicenter of this geopolitical struggle. As Napoleon Bonaparte said, “geography is our destiny.”
Regardless of whether the wind of provocation blows from the east, west, south, or north, it has always had one goal: to damage national solidarity, which is the ideological guarantor of sustainable development and political stability. Therefore, regardless of which direction the wind of provocation blows from, it undoubtedly poses a real threat to the state and statehood. Every responsible citizen must know this simple political truth and take it into account in their considerations. Only the occurrence of an ideological crisis and uncontrollable chaos can allow malevolent forces to influence the country and seize our national wealth. This is the truth we need to know, and ideological manipulations hidden behind pseudodemocratic slogans are the colorful details of “dirty” provocations.
Let’s briefly recall some of the ideological manipulations we have witnessed. As a result of the ideological crisis experienced in the fragile early years of independence, our state faced the threat of civil war. Our defeat in the First Karabakh War and the occupation of more than 20% of our territories further deepened the ideological crisis. The ideological content of national thought had generally reached a dead end thanks to the emotions exploited by provocateurs in this matter.
Ideological upheavals also occurred during the process of freeing Azerbaijan from the “post-Soviet country” stamp in the international relations system. At that stage, a process of forming very complex and contradictory political stereotypes was taking place in the public consciousness and ideological views of citizens. Undoubtedly, the existing process was constantly taking place under the influence of the winds of provocation. As a result of ideological manipulations carried out in this direction, people who experienced nostalgic feelings for that period still exist in our society. Therefore, the current area of ideological struggle remains a disturbing direction. Unprofessional and biased discussions around issues such as national identity and cultural identity further complicate the ideological struggle. Of course, the current situation encourages the ideological zeal of provocateurs.
The process of confirming Azerbaijan as an equal participant in the international relations system was observed with the resistance of greater forces. At this stage, the policy of “double standards” used against our native homeland led to the formation of a dualistic attitude towards international law and values in the public consciousness of citizens. At this stage, malevolent forces were also working towards the ideological fragmentation of society. For this, demagoguery such as “European values” and “Euro-integration” with amorphous content was mainly used.
Another direction of ideological manipulations against the state and our nation is related to instilling a complex of inferiority in people’s public consciousness. Thus, certain forces, using the occupation of our lands, worked on the ideological level to spread a complex of inferiority in our society and to make our people accustomed to this feeling. Undoubtedly, the target of such attempts is again to create an ideological crisis in the country.
The favorite direction of ideological provocations is precisely the manipulation of people’s beliefs and their religious feelings. There have been numerous attacks against Azerbaijan on this front of ideological struggle, and these dirty provocations are still ongoing. Today, looking at those who have joined the dirty campaign against our nation and state under various pretexts, we would like to ask just a few questions. Why were you silent when Azerbaijan, whose 20% of its territory is occupied and has more than 1 million refugees, insisted on promoting the ideas of multiculturalism in the international relations system despite all pressures and resistance? Why were you silent when Azerbaijan actively promoted intercultural dialogue policies while multiculturalism was in crisis in Europe, which they loved? Why were you silent when violence against migrants occurred in Europe, and Azerbaijan criticized this policy? Why were you silent when reputable international organizations called Azerbaijan one of the addresses of world multiculturalism? Why were you silent when in Europe the niqab and beard were associated with terrorism? Where were you when Azerbaijan organized the Islamic Solidarity Games despite all pressures? Why did you not support President Ilham Aliyev when he fearlessly criticized the rampant Islamophobia in the world within the framework of reputable international events? Were the emotions you are trying to demonstrate now not experienced when the head of state showed the mosques destroyed as a result of the occupation and that pigs were kept there?
Of course, we can easily continue this series of questions.
The Azerbaijani people, who have witnessed all possible types of ideological manipulations, have now developed strong immunity. Our citizen is very good at not getting carried away by emotions and drawing correct conclusions. Therefore, our nation, which will successfully overcome the next wave of provocations, will become stronger, and our national unity and solidarity will remain unshakable forever, just like our tricolor flag.
Political scientist Asif Adil