The war in Georgia and the recent gas crisis with Ukraine have revived Europe's willingness to develop the Nabucco pipeline, an alternative transit route for gas imports from the Caspian Sea basin that would bypass Russia

In Azerbaijan the government has proposed a referendum to lift the two-term presidential restriction and introduce other changes that would undermine fundamental tenants of the country's Constitution. A ban on foreign broadcasting and the conviction of prominent journalists consolidate state control over media and free flow of information

Oil and Politics in Azerbaijani history. The ambiguous effects of oil-related income in the modernization of the country and in the strengthening of an autocracy close to the West but hostile to freedom of expression

November was rich with events, which might have signaled important dynamics in the region, but closer analysis suggests that the effect of the recent geopolitical events on the "status quo" is rather limited