Azerbaijan's foreign policy in the framework of neorealism theory

Located in the heart of the Caucasus, one of the most geo-strategically important regions of the world, Azerbaijan is affected by the anarchic structure of the international and regional system and tries to shape its foreign policy in this context. Although small states do not have much room for maneuver in foreign policy, Azerbaijan has pursued different strategies in different periods in order to preserve its independence and consolidate its sovereignty due to the nature of international politics. While it is possible to examine the steps taken by states in foreign policy within the framework of different theories, it has been examined in the perspective of neo-realist theory, which tries to explain international politics in the light of developments arising from the structure of the international system. Azerbaijan's foreign policy, influenced by the structural features of the international system, has been effective in examining the study in a neo-realist theoretical framework. In this sense, the study was a literature review as a result of the examination of secondary sources. The study also covers certain conceptual limitations by examining the steps taken by the state in foreign policy in a theoretical framework. The geopolitical position of Azerbaijan reveals the original value of the study in terms of including the main problems that the theory focuses on. It is possible to state that the main arguments of neo-realism in Azerbaijan's foreign policy overlap with basic claims such as power, security, the anarchic structure of the international system, the functionality of international organizations in world politics, the economic structure of interstate relations and the effects of this process on security. It is important to examine the study from the perspective of neo-realist theory in terms of the Karabakh problem in Azerbaijan's foreign policy, the process of establishing economic relations in relations with world states, and the explanation of its relations with many regional and international organizations. The methodological importance of the theory, together with the solid formation of the theoretical framework, the data on the economic relations of the Azerbaijan State Statistical Institute were collected and the discursive analysis of the President, who carries out the foreign policy of Azerbaijan, about the security of the country was made.