Abstract:
The story explains how the Republic of Azerbaijan, a small, distant, and new country, established a strong and highly regarded diplomatic presence in Washington between 1993 and 2006. It is also a record of the work of one man, Hafiz M. Pashayev, Azerbaijan's first ambassador to the United Stated and its representative throughout these years, who did much to achieve this. It is a tale of formidable obstacles and of decisive advantages, of lofty principles and low cunning,of steady learning and willful ignorance. It is, in short, a microfilm of diplomacy itself. Pashayev's assignment could not have been clearer: to garner solid American support for Azerbaijan's independence and territorial integrity; help in the difficult transformation from a planned socialist economy to a market system, and from a Soviet-type government to a more open and democratic one; and to facilitate American active participation in the development of the country's hydrocarbon resources so as to strengthen rather than erode these other processes. Thirteen years on, it appears that Pashayev's efforts have fruit in all three areas.
Description:
Throughout my years spent in Washington, I have met countless officials and private individuals who have enhanced my understanding of the United States and the American people. Although it is impossible to name everybody, I thank them all for their friendship and cooperation. While working on a manuscript for this book, I continuously recalled those whose editing and typing efforts have helped me to construct speeches, articles, and letters over the years. I express my gratitude to the former and current staff members of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Washington, particularly Elmar Mammadyarov, Tahir Tagizadeh, Galib Mammad, and Aysel Yagubova for their ideas and contributions. It gives me great pleasure to thank Edvin Graves for this cooperation during the early years of my tenure in Washington. Not only was he an indispensable source of information as he guided me through the political labyrinths at Capitol Hill, but he was also a good friend with delightful Alabaman accent. While in the process of planning and writing, I received valuable and enlightening advice from Dr. Frederick Starr. In addition to my strong admiration of his personality, I thank him for all his kindness. I express deep appreciation for Dr. Rob Sobhani's encouragement and support throughout the course of my writings. I thank Taleh Ziyadov and Marja Snyder's meticulous reading and editing of the entire manuscript that has effectively improved the text's readability ease. The author claims responsibility for any remaining shortcomings.
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